Kingdom of Ashes
by MizHyde
Summary: He'd hurt her. It felt like he'd stuck her in the heart and twisted the blade in a full circle. The anger in his eyes was burned into her brain, the angry accusatory tone of his voice stuck in her ears. Love wasn't enough. In a perfect world, it would have been, but the world and all the players within it weren't perfect. Part 3 of the Jory Moody saga.
1. Prologue

**Lilian Garcia crossed her left leg over her right and readjusted herself in the dark green armchair until she was comfortable. **Her head rested on her fist, honey blonde hair falling around her hand, concealing it. She was dressed for the autumn weather in black leggings and a forest green tunic that blended almost perfectly with her chair. Her smile was warm and inviting; her brown eyes conveying every emotion appropriate for her current task.

While it had been years since Lilian had left her post as WWE's resident ring announcer, she'd always kept herself inside the mad, crazy circle that was the world of professional wrestling. Even on the outside, she still loved the bonds that formed within it. Her time with the company had created friendships to last a lifetime, and she'd been surrounded by some of the best athletes she'd ever met. In her decade with the company, she'd seen the torch passed from guys like The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin to John Cena, and she'd watched the rise, the fall, and the eventual resurrection of the women's division. Many of her colleagues had left professional wrestling and started podcasts, so when she took her final exit, Lilian felt like it was a no-brainer to start one of her own.

It was a blustery Tuesday morning and Lilian was sitting inside a well-lit hotel room filming another episode of her podcast, _Chasing Glory. _It was her hope to eventually be seen as the Oprah of the podcast industry, someone who asked the deep, thoughtful questions and brought out the best in all of her guests. Sitting across from her in another green armchair was Seth Rollins, dressed in a Black and Brave T-shirt and tight black jeans. His hair was pulled away from his face, into a bun that rested at the nape of his neck, non-obstructive to the Black and Brave baseball cap he wore. Behind his glasses, his brown eyes looked exhausted, but he was doing his best to gamely answer her questions while he sipped on his third coffee of the morning.

Earlier in the morning, while she'd drank her coffee and waited for Seth to arrive, she'd gone through her Twitter feed, quickly learning that he was by far the most talked-about Superstar on the roster at that moment, thanks to his personal and professional lives colliding. Lilian had smiled; Vince signing off on Seth's appearance had been the best thing for her podcast - she was going to be the first one to get his thoughts on _everything_. It was the kind of scoop wrestling reporters and her colleagues would kill for.

"From the sounds of things, it's been a pretty turbulent few weeks for you," Lilian commented. They had already talked about his ambitions, his goals, his wrestling school, and his business goals. They'd talked about his childhood and his high school years, leaving no stone unturned. With all the groundwork laid out, Lilian was ready to dive into the things her listeners wanted to hear about. When he'd arrived, still yawning and his voice still half-hazy with sleep, Seth had assured her that nothing was off-limits in the podcast; he'd told her that he only wanted to clear up the misconceptions that were out there about him.

Seth nodded at her statement. "Yeah. You could definitely say that. Accurate statement."

"I guess the first thing everyone wants to know is - how is Roman doing? I know you mentioned on _Raw _that he's a tough guy, but have you had a chance to talk to him since his surgery?" she asked. Seth nodded.

"I'm probably the biggest pain in his ass right now," Seth confessed. "I talk to him a few times a day. That's my brother, you know? I know we go out there and we talk about how The Shield is a brotherhood, but the truth is...it is. At least, it is to me and Roman. I don't know what's going through Dean's head at the moment but at the end of the day he's still my brother, too." He sighed, his body sagging against the armchair. Lilian nodded, her mouth curving into a sympathetic smile.

"Did you have any inclination that Dean was going to do what he did last night?" she asked. Seth made a noise.

"I mean...maybe a little. Did I think he was going to do what he did last night? No. But Dean...he got injured, and he went away, and he came back a different Dean Ambrose. He's not the Dean Ambrose that I used to know, and I know how dramatic that sounds, but it's true. It's like...Mauro Ranallo likes to say that Dean is mercurial, and he is, and I guess there's just been this resentment that's been building inside of him for a long time. I thought we'd smoothed everything out, but apparently, I was wrong.

"Short answer is after we won one for our fallen brother, I didn't think this would happen. Not in a million years."

"Was Dean angry about what happened in Australia?" Lilian asked. Seth sighed.

"Both of them were angry with me."

"For our clueless listeners out there, would you care to fill me in on what happened in Melbourne?" she asked.

"I was an idiot," Seth replied with a shrug. "I found Baron Corbin, and I went after him, and he wasn't alone. I was. It was a stupid, stupid thing I did, and I robbed the great fans of Australia a chance to see The Shield. That's what I did, and I've got to live with that. The next time I'm in Melbourne, I'm going to do everything I can to make it up to the people who paid their hard-earned money to come and see me perform. I'll feel bad about my actions for the rest of my life, but there's not a lot I can do about that."

"So, Dean was angry that you'd attacked Baron Corbin and gotten yourself pulled from the match." It wasn't a question but a flat statement. Seth nodded.

"Yeah. They were both angry, but Dean was furious. Just to be clear, though: they had every right to be. I messed up, and I messed everything up real bad. It's just...that whole weekend...that entire trip was just the absolute worst."

"That brings me to the next part of the rumor mill that's surrounding you," Lilian cut in, sitting up straighter. She leaned forward, her hands clasped together on her lap as she leaned forward. "The rumors surrounding you and Jordana Moody."

"Yeah. My social media's been a total dumpster fire since the trip."

They were quiet for a few moments. Lilian realized she was going to have to dig for the answers, that he wasn't about to freely give it up. "And?"

"It's the usual stuff in our business, Lilian - the fans don't know what they're talking about. They like to speculate."

"Are you and Jordana still together?" Lilian asked. Seth snorted.

"We never were together," Seth announced. "Not in the way that everyone seems to think we were, anyway."

"Care to explain?"

"Look, Lilian - here's the deal: Jory and I, we kind of got thrown together because at the time we were both in bad situations that really mirrored each other, being in the Authority and finding ourselves kicked out and treated as outcasts. And when you're thrust into a high-profile situation like that...we got pretty close. But that's all it really was, just two adults hanging out together. People act like we were going to move in together, get married and have a hundred kids or something. That stuff was never discussed because we both knew it wasn't that serious between the two of us.

"There's a lot of stuff that makes it online in our business, and most of it isn't true. Jory and I have always led separate lives. We're not perfect human beings. I wanted to try and make it a bit more serious between the two of us, but I saw some things that were happening, so I just...I did what had to be done." The answer left Lilian confused. He could see by the way her eyes flickered.

"Was Baron Corbin a factor in the decision you made?"

"I don't know," Seth told her, sipping his coffee. "I just know the things I've heard, but I don't want to say anything more. Out of respect for Jory," he added. Lilian nodded; she respected that.

"There were reports of her running through the hotel..." Seth shrugged.

"You would have to have her on this podcast and ask her. I don't know anything when it comes to her. We're two very different human beings," Seth reiterated. He finished his coffee and wished he had another cup handy. "All I will say is that Jory is an incredible athlete, and she's as resourceful as it gets. She has all the tools to be a valuable asset on _any _roster, and I wish her nothing but the best."


	2. Welcome to Heartbreak

"_**Life is overwhelming, heavy is the head that wears the crown,**_

_**I'd love to be the one to disappoint you when I don't fall down."**_

_**Limp Bizkit, "Re-Arranged"**_

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Welcome to Heartbreak**

* * *

**It took Jory forever to get out of her rental car.**

She sat alone in the driver's seat, hands on the steering wheel at the ten and two positions, thinking about the last month of her life. It was the first time she'd been at work since her personal life had imploded spectacularly in Melbourne. Two weeks ago, hot on the heels of her breakup with "The Architect" Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns had been put on the shelf with a broken neck at the hands of Sanity, the chaotic faction headed by grizzled veteran Eric Young. There was no word when, or even if, Roman Reigns was going to ever be cleared to get back inside the ring; all that was known was that his surgery had been successful. Anything other than that was up in the air, much to everyone's chagrin. Jory hoped for the best; she'd seen people return from injuries where people had given up hope, so she believed that anything was possible. She liked Roman, and she wanted to believe that he could get through this and return better than ever.

Seven days prior, as she sat at home licking her wounds, Jory watched Dean Ambrose take it upon himself to attack Seth Rollins after their tag team victory in a match that they had dedicated to Roman. It had been a vicious, violent attack; Dean had proven to everyone on both sides of the curtain that he was a rabid animal, going so far as to _bite _Seth Rollins. He'd left Seth in a pool of blood to close out _Raw_, and once again the war between two men considered brothers was reignited. For the past week, Jory had struggled with sending Seth a text message, wishing him a speedy recovery and telling him to be careful, but she'd held back. They were finished. Done. It was what they needed to do, and she refused to cave.

Jory looked at her reflection in the rear-view mirror and sighed. She'd lost a little bit of weight in her time off, her depression getting the better of her on most days she sat at home. Her eating habits had become almost non-existent. For the first two and a half weeks, all she'd done was lay in bed and cry. Her sleep was tortured. With every day that passed and the bridge between the two of them grew bigger, Jory found her depression slipping into a strange state of numbness, a feeling where she was neither sad nor angry, but just existing. She hadn't lied to him when she'd told him that she loved him. But Seth was too far in the weeds to even entertain the idea of fixing things.

"There's not enough makeup in the world to hide these bags," she murmured to herself. Her expression was bemused, her eyes dull and lifeless. All week long she had been dreading the idea of coming back to work, of facing everyone after what had happened in Australia. It was out in the open now that her relationship with Seth Rollins had collapsed. In her time off, she'd ignored phone calls, e-mails, and text messages. After a day that saw General Manager Baron Corbin call her a whopping eighteen times, Jory shut off her phone and left it that way, choosing to go completely off-the-grid.

For the past few weeks, Jory felt like she had been hemorrhaging; all she wanted was some time to herself to try and stop the bleeding, but she had been far from successful in her endeavor.

He'd hurt her. It felt like Seth Rollins had stuck her in the heart and twisted the blade in a full circle. She could still see the anger that burned in his dark brown eyes and could hear the angry accusatory tone of his voice as he made it clear that he didn't trust her at all. She loved him, but in the end, love was not enough to fix what was broken. In a perfect world, perhaps it would have been, but the world and all the players within it were imperfect.

Being off everyone's radar had given Jory a lot of time to think about things. She'd gone over every moment of her relationship, had picked apart all her shortcomings, had a million thoughts about how she could be a better girlfriend moving forward. Had Seth been right about her? Had she been disrespectful to their relationship by keeping friends with Baron Corbin? Perhaps she had, but boys and girls were friends all the time in the business. What did Seth's suspicions say about the way he perceived her? Jory wasn't a hundred percent sure. But Seth had placed everything on her.

_Once again, Jordana Moody bears the cross. Go figure. _She supposed she should have been sorry that she didn't just stand in the wings and wait for Seth to give her a fraction of his attention, but she had dreams and ambitions, too. While her road had been extremely tough to navigate, Seth had left her to do it alone when he got back into the main event scene, got back together with his brothers. Saying anything about it made her needy, made her a nag. She didn't want to be any of that; she just wanted to be his girlfriend. At one time, they'd saved each other.

She got out of the car, smoothing the wrinkles out of her outfit that skirted the bare minimum requirement of the company dress code. Her hair was in a messy bun, unbrushed and unmanageable. She couldn't remember the last time she'd brushed it, and she knew it was going to be a nightmare in the stylist's chair. There wasn't a stitch of makeup on her face; her exhaustion was evident for all to see. She was a far cry from the sexy, smart, and powerful Superstar the WWE wanted her to be, but at that moment she didn't care. Jory retrieved her suitcase out of the trunk of the car and made her way towards the arena. Fans called out to her for autographs and pictures, but she ignored it. She didn't want to hear their questions and nasty comments about Seth Rollins; she didn't want to answer the questions about where she'd been and what her friendship with Baron Corbin was really about. All she wanted to do was get through the night and head back to the hotel so she could cry, away from everyone. The well of tears had yet to run dry.

She walked inside the building and immediately felt a shift in the atmosphere. It was strange. Jory didn't want to call it tense, but there was something in the air that made her feel uncomfortable. It felt like something was amiss. She looked at her clothing, wondering if she'd spilled some coffee but there was nothing. Everyone greeted her, but she couldn't help but feel like everyone was holding her at arm's length.

So distracted with her thoughts and suspicions, Jory was startled out of them when a set of strong arms locked around her chest from behind, pulling her back into a hug. Jory realized right away that it was Bayley, WWE's resident hugger. "There you are!" Bayley squealed, swinging her from left to right. "I was wondering if you were gonna make it tonight. I've been worried to death about you. Way to answer your messages."

Bayley released her hold on Jory, and she turned to face her friend. Bayley was already in her ring gear, but her hair had yet to be put up in its trademark side ponytail, and she had yet to get her makeup done. Bayley looked at her friend, her sympathetic gaze somehow becoming more sorrowful. Her brown eyes grew sad as she took in the exhaustion and the sadness behind Jory's green orbs.

"I just needed some time," Jory told her.

"How have you been?"

"Surviving." They fell into step beside each other, Jory grabbing her bag. They began to make their way down the hallway.

"How's your neck?"

"Good." It was on the tip of Jory's tongue to reply that she had always been fine, that she had her suspicions that Hunter and Stephanie had sent her home to keep her apart from Seth while their breakup was still fresh. She couldn't prove it, but it was a gut feeling she had. If she could help it at all, Jory hoped that she wouldn't have to talk about the situation at all.

"There you are - if it isn't the woman of the hour!"

Jory looked up as Sasha Banks approached them, dressed in a pair of black yoga pants and a baby pink Sailor Moon T-shirt. Her purple hair was tied back in a low ponytail. The glasses she wore on her face were big, squared, and black. Later on in the evening, Sasha was set to put her Women's Championship on the line against Jory's longtime nemesis, Alexa Bliss. Jory's eyes flickered to the cell phone in Sasha's hands.

"Hello, Sasha," Jory greeted dryly. If Sasha was offended by Jory's curt greeting, she didn't show it. Instead, she looked down at her phone, scrolling on her screen.

"Everybody's been waiting for you to get here today. Have you been keeping up with things?" Sasha asked. Jory nodded.

"Yeah. I've seen everything Baron's been doing," she confirmed with a sigh. Watching a friend of hers go from a quiet and quirkily fun guy to a full-blown dictator had been a sad development, but Jory knew that there was no such thing as out of character in pro wrestling. Everyone did what they did when it benefited them the best. When Baron had become Stephanie's right hand, Jory had hoped he could stay above the darkness, but the lure of power had grown between the cracks like weeds, wrapping their talons around him and dragging him down to Stephanie's level. While she didn't want to hurt Baron by telling him to his face that she hated what he'd become, she was sure he'd understood by the way she ignored him after leaving Melbourne. "It's terrible."

"No, not with Baron - with your _ex_," Sasha told her. Jory bristled at the word.

"Yeah. I know all about the Shield's new saga," she answered. Sasha shook her head, exasperated.

"_No, _idiot - the podcast that dropped two days ago." Jory's eyes narrowed.

"Don't know anything about a podcast. Don't care, either," she answered coolly. Bayley looked at Jory, surprised. She suspected that her friend was lying, that she was doing her best to put everything behind her and move on with her life and remain professional. Bayley knew people didn't just turn their feelings on and off, that there had to be something that still lingered between them. Jory had hoped that her words would kill the conversation, but Sasha wasn't about to let it die.

"When is the last time you talked to Seth?" Bayley asked softly as Sasha thrust her cell phone into Jory's hands.

"Australia."

"You're gonna wanna read this, Jory - it's some of the highlights from the podcast," Sasha explained. Jory looked at Sasha and tried to hand the phone back to her. Sasha refused to take it. "Read it, Jory. It's important. If you want to make it through tonight, you need to read it."

Jory's eyes narrowed. Bayley shot Sasha a look, silently pleading with her to stop stirring the pot. With a sigh, Jory brought the phone back to her and looked down at the transcript. Her eyes narrowed as they skimmed across the words.

_We were never together. Not in the way everyone seems to think we were._

_That's all it really was - just two adults hanging out together. People act like we were going to move in together, get married, and have a million kids or something. That stuff was never discussed because we both knew it was never that serious between us. _

_I saw some things that were happening, so I did what had to be done. _

_[On whether Baron Corbin was a factor] I don't know. I just know the things I've heard, but I don't want to say anything more. Out of respect for Jory. _

_I wish her all the best. _

Jory's mind began racing, her thoughts branching into a million different directions. He'd set out to hurt her. _Mission fucking accomplished, you bastard. _As quickly as that thought hit her, another thing hit her like a ton of bricks. _Jesus...he's made it sound like he caught me screwing around or something. He's acting like he ended it because of Baron and I. Oh my God, I can't believe him! Because he hasn't shattered me enough, right? _

This was a calculated move, she knew. He'd sat across from Lilian Garcia and lied. She thought back to when he had come to her, telling her he could see a future between the two of them, and how she'd told him she was worried that all they'd had was their battle with Hunter and Stephanie. He'd assured her that he really cared about her, that he wanted things to move forward; now, here he was, pulling that card out to hurt her. _He sat across from Lilian and basically told her we were just friends with benefits. How could I have been so stupid?_

He'd dismissed her, dismissed their time together like it had meant nothing to him. Bayley and Sasha watched her, both of them stunned that she wasn't reacting to what she was reading. While she wasn't showing it outwardly, on the inside, Jory felt used and blindsided. He'd wanted to hurt her the way that he thought she'd hurt him. _Mission accomplished. God, I'm so stupid. _

Jory was silent for a long time. Bayley and Sasha's expressions morphed into concerned ones. Jory's muted reaction left Bayley with an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. With a shrug, Jory handed the phone back to Sasha. She looked down at the screen, her brown eyes flickering before she looked at Jory. "So...?" Sasha pressed when Jory didn't speak. Jory shrugged.

"He's entitled to his opinion."

"That's it? That's all you have to say?" Sasha asked, surprised. Jory looked Sasha in the eyes, taking Sasha aback by the cold, steely glare.

"Yes. That's all I have to say." She looked between Bayley and Sasha. "Excuse me."

Jory walked between them, dragging her bag behind her. She didn't look back at either of them as she made her way down the hall towards the women's locker room, offering fake smiles and friendly handshakes to everyone. Sasha and Bayley watched her until she disappeared. Sasha's arms crossed over her chest, her hip bending slightly to the left.

"You really had to jump on her when she got here like that?" Bayley asked.

"Of course I did. How do you think it's gonna be when she gets to the locker room?" Sasha asked. "They're gonna be on her like crazy." She shook her head. "I thought she'd react to it. You and I both know Seth lied this morning."

"It's between the two of them," Bayley reminded her. "I really don't know anything."

* * *

**Anyone with a working set of eyes could see that Baron Corbin's elimination from the Universal Championship tournament the week before had left him livid and desperate in equal measure. **His defeat, coupled with Stephanie McMahon's refusal to outright disqualify Dean Ambrose from the tournament and crown Bobby Lashley the automatic winner of their bout had left him frustrated beyond belief. He'd had to listen to Stephanie drone on about the integrity of the Universal Championship. She'd met him halfway, but it wasn't enough to make him happy.

Due to his violent attack on Seth Rollins, and the nuclear fallout from angry parents and the FCC about the blood, Stephanie had pulled Dean from the tournament, effectively "disqualifying" him from becoming champion. Stephanie was going to be damned if such a lunatic represented her company as the champion. Braun Strowman got to take his place.

Everyone could see that Baron was doing his best to rig the tournament in favor of his friends. Many were disgusted, but not surprised.

While Dean Ambrose wasn't welcome at _Raw_, everyone was aware he would show up later on, hopefully, to offer an apology for his actions the week before. Stephanie had sent a message to Dean that he was out of the tournament, and Baron had moved the match up the card in order to ensure that Dean wasn't there to interfere. It was a shady tactic, for sure, but Baron and Stephanie agreed that it was a necessary one.

As Jory watched him arrange the deck for Bobby Lashley to succeed, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Kurt Angle. It was supposed to be a vacation, but he'd been gone for months. She missed Kurt; he'd at least had some integrity. Baron taking over the brand had damaged their friendship. Watching him hold Bobby's hand high in the middle of the ring, Jory realized that she didn't trust him. She didn't agree with the way he was running things, either. Stephanie had obviously taught him the tricks of her trade: that fear and intimidation was the only way to keep the inmates in line.

The crowd booed and jeered. Braun was moving in the ring, but Bobby and Baron were already halfway up the ramp, making sure they were a safe distance away in the event that Braun began destroying the area.

In the past few months, as she watched Baron go down his path, Jory had been forced to come to terms with the fact that he was a complicated man, that behind his infectious smile was a malevolent soul. Baron was doing what he felt he had to do to survive, but the issue was that he was enjoying the misery he was inflicting too much. Seth had been right, and with the benefit of hindsight, Jory couldn't argue with that. With hindsight and clarity setting in, Jory knew she'd been naive. She'd tried to see the best in someone. It had become the biggest detriment in her life.

But she didn't regret their friendship. _If you'd stayed away from everyone who had a reputation, Jory, Seth never would have had a shot_, she reminded herself. At that moment, she didn't know if it was a good or bad statement. But it was why she couldn't beg Seth for forgiveness. It wasn't a cardinal sin to have friends; especially when Seth had built a bridge between the two of them.

"Jordana! There you are!"

She turned her head in time to see a young tech approaching quick, a guy named Greg. He was dressed head to toe in black, a WWE logo over his heart. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing. Baron wanted me to tell you that they're pushing up your match with Dana Brooke to just before the seven o'clock hour," he told her. She nodded.

"Thank you for letting me know." She watched him walk away for a moment before she turned back to the monitor. At some point, she was probably going to run into both Seth and Baron, and it was something she wasn't looking forward to in the slightest.

* * *

**Baron stood at the bottom of the steps that led to the backstage area, applauding as Jory made her way through the black curtain. **She'd just won her first match after her time off. Not that Baron thought she'd lose. While Jordana Moody and Dana Brooke had wrestled each other plenty of times over the years, this time around Jory had the benefit of her time off. She'd had a few weeks to recalibrate and get herself into a different zone. She was fresh and ready to fight. Dana didn't have a chance.

His applause and his smile faltered when he saw the disgust, disdain, and disappointment on her face. It was an unwelcome and surprising development; they'd been on relatively good terms when she'd gone home from Australia. Sure, they'd had cross words on the phone before she'd boarded her plane, but as far as Baron was concerned, it wasn't anything personal. Stephanie sending Jory home had thrown him for a loop, and he'd reacted badly. But he didn't expect her to still be angry.

Her body shifted so she could slip underneath him as she made it to the bottom step. The last thing she wanted was for him to touch her. She moved past him quickly with a shake of her head, keeping her pace brisk as she made her way down the hall. With his long legs, it wasn't hard for Baron to keep up with her. His expression was offended, his arms outstretched as he followed her.

"Oh, so it's going to be like that between us now?" he demanded, his tone loud and angry. Jory immediately resented him for causing a scene. She could feel the eyes on her, burning into her skin, and at that moment she was done. At that moment, she would have sold her soul to go anywhere that put her as far away from Baron Corbin and Seth Rollins as she could get.

He moved in front of her, forcing her to stop in her tracks. His eyes were narrowed; he looked angry. "Obviously the two of us need to talk. Let's go to my office, shall we?" When she refused to move, he reached out and grabbed her by the elbow. She surprised him by yanking her arm out of his grasp.

"Don't you _ever _touch me," she growled loudly. It was Baron's turn to be embarrassed. He took a step back, arms raised in surrender.

"I'm sorry," he offered quickly, his expression softening. "Please? We obviously need to talk."

He held his arm out. Rolling her eyes and allowing her body to sag, she walked towards his office, crossing her arms over her chest.

Baron's office was opulent, decorated in dark wood, black leather, and burgundy. She walked into his office ready to get through the discussion and leave. Baron followed her into his office, shutting the door hard behind him. It wasn't quite a slamming of the door, but it shut hard. She turned to him, and they were silent for several moments. They stared at each other. Baron took in Jory, noting that she looked slimmer, that she looked tired and furious.

"You want to talk? Talk." He blinked at her abrupt tone.

"What the hell is your problem?" he shot back at her. She snorted.

"What's my problem? What's _your _problem?" she fired back at him. "Do you think I haven't been keeping up with anything since I got sent home with that bullshit injury excuse? '_If you're not with me, you're against me_'? What kind of dictatorial bullshit is that? Do you think that I'm some kind of idiot, Baron, that I'd just come back blind, deaf, and dumb to everything you've been doing?" He didn't have to answer. She shook her head. "I'm sick of everyone taking me for some kind of idiot, Baron."

"I don't think you're an idiot, but at this moment you're acting like an inconsiderate bitch." She glowered at him. "You can look at me like that all you want, Jory, but do you know what kind of turmoil your absence has thrown this brand into? Do you even understand the plans I've got for you long-term? No, no, you don't, because you're so hung up on that idiot..."

"Fuck. You."

She moved to leave the office, but Baron reached out and grabbed her, roughly yanking her back towards him. "No. _Fuck you_. I'm _your _boss, Jory, it's not the other way around, and whether you like it or not, your little stunt cost me time and money."

"You're hurting me," she told him. She likened his grip to a blood pressure test with how tightly he was squeezing her. He released her and she took a step back from him, rubbing her arm. "_My _little stunt? If you have an issue with my absence, why don't you pick up your phone and call the people who sent me home? Why don't you ask them _why _they sent me home? Because I sure in the hell didn't ask for it. Or did Stephanie and Hunter tell you otherwise?" She rubbed her arm, vowing to herself silently that she would gouge his eyes out if he ever laid his hands on her again. Her temper was red-hot, and she could see his temper was beginning to climb.

"They sent you home, but _you _chose to ghost me."

"What I do on my own time is nobody's business but my own," she defended. "But while we're on that, what kind of boss calls someone eighteen times in a day, and texts twice as much?"

"Did you not think the phone call was important?"

"No." She shook her head. "I had to shut everything off, and you still didn't get it."

"Because I was hoping you'd finally start acting like an adult."

"Like an adult? Do you want to talk about maturity? How about that little phone call at the airport?" she fired back at him. "_You _hung up on _me_, and I'm supposed to just drop everything...ugh. "

They were quiet for a few moments. Finally, Baron sighed. "Jory, I didn't bring you in here to fight."

"Then why did you bring me here?" she asked.

"Because I have an offer for you," he told her. He walked past her, towards his desk. "As you know, I've been the acting General Manager of this brand for some time now." Jory rolled her eyes, and Baron felt his temper surge. "Could you just...not do that? Please?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "I've been pulling double duty between running this brand and competing, and frankly it's a lot to handle, so I asked Stephanie a few weeks ago if I could bring on an assistant, and she okayed it. I wanted to offer it to you..."

"No. Hell no. No. I don't want it."

"Jory..."

"No. I'm not doing this again. Never again. How dare you ask me."

"You're acting like this is an Authority thing. It's not. You'd just be helping me oversee the brand."

"My answer is still the same. I'm not doing it. You'll have to find someone else."

Baron pushed himself off the wall and approached her. His steps felt menacing now; the aura of the room became dark and ominous. Jory felt her nerves begin to sing with a mixture of anxiety and fear. "Jory," he began, his tone dropping an octave, "I'm telling you this as your friend, as someone who wants nothing but the best for you here on this brand, so listen to me." He licked his lips. "It would be a _huge _mistake for you to turn this down.

"I know you're hurting right now, and I know you're angry, but don't be stupid," he told her darkly. "I'm telling you to play it smart. Since we're friends, Jory, this is what I'm going to do – you've got a week to think about it. Next week, I'm going to find you, and we're going to have this conversation again, and I'm going to trust then that you're going to make the right decision for yourself and for…"

They were interrupted by a quick, rapid knocking on the door. Baron sighed. "What?"

The young runner Jory had seen earlier poked his head through the door. "Hey – I just saw Elias, and he's headed out to the ring with a stool and a guitar. I thought we cut that segment…"

"We did." Baron sighed. He looked at Jory. "That guy is becoming the biggest pain in my ass…" He looked over at Greg. "I'll deal with it. Thank you for letting me know."

The kid disappeared. Jory's expression hadn't softened at all in their discussion. Baron shook his head. "Think about it, Jory. Don't be stupid."

He moved around her. She didn't turn back to look at him; instead, she was deep in her thoughts. It was almost as if she could hear Hunter's words coming out of his mouth, and she didn't like that feeling one bit.

* * *

** "Ladies and gentlemen – Elias." **

The crowd cheered as he strummed his guitar and the spotlight fell on him sitting alone on a stool, his black and yellow Fender guitar rested on his lap. He was dressed in his latest shirt, cut off at the neck and arms to ensure his comfort, and black jeans. Two scarves, one white and one monochrome, were slung over his neck, his wrists tied with navy bandanas. Between his fingers, he held a blue guitar pick.

He looked out at the crowd and smiled; sure, he hadn't been seen on TV for weeks, with Baron cutting his segments at the last possible minute, but out there, in front of the fans, he finally felt at home. The fact that the crowd was cheering with him was a welcome development; his message of "Walk With Elias" was beginning to spread like wildfire among the WWE Universe. While they were adversaries, John Cena – arguably the company's biggest star of the last decade – gave his stamp of approval to the catchphrase; in fact, it had blown his mind. Everyone was behind it, so it seemed only natural that Baron would do everything in his power to cut Elias off at the knees.

"Now I was feeling so good tonight that I needed to come out here and give you the truth," he announced to the adoring crowd. "That's right, I wrote a song, so everybody listen up…"

The lights flickered orange behind him and the loud, booming drums and guitar of Baron Corbin's music blared through the speakers. Elias tilted his head, the familiar feeling of defeat settling into the pit of his stomach. He rotated in the chair in time to see Baron walk onto the stage holding a microphone.

"Elias, Elias, Elias, look, man…" Baron started as his music died on the speakers. He approached the chair where Elias sat, chagrined at the General Manager's presence. "I'm sorry to interrupt your little performance, but as acting General Manager, it is my job to keep this show rolling." The crowd booed.

"We got a lot of stuff going on, man, that includes the WWE Women's Championship." Over the raised boos of the crowd, Baron continued while Elias rubbed at his temple with a finger. "We just don't have time to accommodate your performance. And I was talking to Stephanie McMahon, the _Commissioner…_"

"Look, I know who Stephanie McMahon is, okay?" Elias barked at him, annoyed. "And believe me – Stephanie McMahon wants to Walk With Elias. I'm sure she wants to hear this performance, so that's what I'm gonna do, okay?"

The crowd cheered. Baron resisted the urge to reach out and punch Elias in the face. "Look – look, Elias, that may be true," Baron replied through gritted teeth, "But she appointed _me _acting General Manager, so what I have to say is _far _more important than your little performance on your little guitar."

The crowd booed raucously. Baron took a few steps away from Elias and looked out at the crowd while Elias glared at him from his chair. Baron turned his attention at Elias, raising the microphone to his lips. "If I were you, I'd quit looking at me like that," Baron threatened. Elias looked away from Baron, his temper rising as Baron pointed his finger at Elias. "You work for _me_, and if Stephanie didn't like you…" He smirked, releasing a sound that resembled a scoff, "…I'd _fire you_."

Elias looked out at the crowd, thoroughly embarrassed and infuriated. But Baron wasn't finished with him. He loomed closer, his next words firm. "_Get off the stage._"

Baron looked out at the crowd, at the fans chanting for Elias to stay on the stage, for Elias to say no and defy Baron's authority. Elias looked out at the crowd and saw the same thing, his eyes flickering as he thought about what he was going to do next. Baron looked at Elias and shook his finger before pointing to the backstage area. "Don't listen to them," Baron warned him. "Just leave."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry – I was in my own little world there," Elias explained. "While you were rambling and sucking the entertainment out of the building…" He readjusted his scarf before readjusting the guitar on his lap. "…I was writing a song in my head that I am going to sing right now, so if you could just silence your cell phone, hold your applause until after I'm finished, and most importantly: do me a favor and shut your damn mouth," he retorted, pointing at Baron, who stood with his hands clasped in front him, his face contorted into a snarl as Elias got his guitar prepared to play.

He strummed his guitar. "_I-I-E-I can see the fear in your eyes," _he sang, making sure he looked at Baron as he sang the last words. Baron rubbed his head and ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek. _"You come out here spreading lies…were the lone wolf rising fast, but now you're just a giant puppet with Stephanie's hand up your…_"

"Cut it!" Baron said over the cheering crowd. He turned to face the ring. "Cut it – cut his mic! Cut his guitar!"

Elias continued to strum. "I'm not gonna stop after that, no, no, no," he announced, emboldened once he realized that he was under Baron's skin for once.

"Cut it! Cut it off!" Baron yelled.

The sound promptly died. The booing of the crowd got louder. Furious, Elias looked into the grinning face of Baron Corbin. "Like I said," Baron began, "You work for me, now get off the stage."

Realizing he'd been defeated, Elias threw his pick on the floor. With a roll of his eyes, Elias slid off the stool and began to make his way backstage. "Take your stool with you," Baron commanded. "Take your stool and get out." Elias looked at him. "Take your stool," Baron repeated.

With a shake of his head, Elias left. Baron grinned at the man's retreating figure. He nodded, proud of himself for asserting authority over his roster.

"Now where was I?" Baron asked.

Turning on his heels, Elias made his way back out onto the stage. The crowd roared, but Baron was oblivious to Elias approaching quickly behind him. "I know – I'm glad that's over, too," Baron told them.

Elias readied the guitar as if it were a baseball bat. "Now look, it is an exciting…"

Baron got no chance to finish what he was saying. The guitar hit his back with a loud _crack_. To the pure joy and adulation of the crowd, Baron buckled before going down to the ground, rolling onto his back, his face contorted in pain. Elias stood over him, looking out at the crowd before looking down at Baron's writhing body.

So his performance had been cut short. So he'd been humiliated for a few minutes. As far as Elias was concerned, it was worth it for this moment. With a slight smirk, he pointed at Baron with his finger and thumb, taking two slight steps back before he turned around and went backstage. His work was done.

* * *

**Bayley spotted Jory standing alone at the interview monitor with her arms crossed over her chest, watching the Women's Championship match unfold between Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss. **She had showered and changed after her exchange with Baron Corbin, changed into black leggings and her ratty Blackcraft hoodie that was three sizes too big for her frame. Bayley observed her friend, her lips pursed into a thin line. All night long she'd been worried about Jory's state of mind, especially after she'd heard from Sasha that she had an argument with Baron. While Jory hadn't reacted to Sasha's attempt to antagonize her with the podcast minutes, Bayley knew that on the inside, Jory was devastated.

Seth was one of her closest friends on the roster, and while she adored him, she was angry that he'd brazenly lie about the status of his relationship with Jory. She hadn't had the chance to talk to him; all night long, Seth had locked himself in his locker room, trying to prepare himself for his main-event match with The Miz. Bayley wanted to know why he would lie. All night long, everyone had been waiting for Jory and Seth to cross paths, but it hadn't happened.

Bayley wanted to believe that love would win in the end, that somehow, they'd see the bigger picture and put all the petty nonsense aside. She wished they could find some common ground, and she wished they could find a way to go back to the way things used to be between them. Seth was still her friend, which created a lot of discomfort between her and Jory. It was unstated, but Bayley was sure Jory could feel it between them, too.

For the first time since the early days of The Shield, Bayley was legitimately terrified of Dean Ambrose and what he was going to do. He'd always been a mercurial individual, prone to violence and quick to anger. But the attack he'd levied upon Seth the week before had left her shaken. He'd _bit _Seth. Like an animal. She couldn't begin to _fathom _the things that had to be going through Dean's mind, and while they'd all been waiting for an explanation, Dean had yet to give one.

She approached. Jory didn't react or acknowledge Bayley as she stood beside her, keeping her gaze fixed on the monitor instead. On the screen, Alexa had the upper hand, stomping on Sasha's prone body in the middle of the ring.

The women were quiet for a long time, long enough to watch Sasha attempt to battle back before she was put down on the canvas.

"Have you spoken to Seth at all tonight?" she asked.

Jory looked at her friend, and Bayley instantly felt stupid for asking. All the fury and aggravation Jory had felt over her first night back burned behind her glare. The bell rang, and both of their attention was drawn back to the screen, where Alexa Bliss was clutching the championship to her chest. Jory snorted.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same," she mused. Turning, she walked away from the area, leaving Bayley standing by herself, heart fracturing into pieces for her friend.

* * *

**Seth knew that he should have seen it coming. **

He'd heard rumors on social media all night that Dean hadn't made it to the arena, that people were stationed at every entrance point to try and get a glimpse of the lunatic. After the week before, Seth knew that he had to be careful, that Dean wasn't going to be satisfied until he was put on the shelf right beside their brother Roman. And yet, as he lay on his back, staring up at the lights with Dean Ambrose circling his prone body like a vulture circling a carcass, Seth realized that he hadn't looked over his shoulders well enough.

"_Get out of there, Seth!"_

The scream made him cringe from his spot on the canvas, the sound unmistakably female. There was no time to even think about rolling out of the ring; Dean was on him, teeth to the forehead, trying to reopen the wound he'd created the week before. Seth could hear Dean growling as his teeth punctured the skin, the sound feral in Seth's ears. Very quickly, Seth's world became red. Dean was doing everything in his power to make the wound bigger, make the blood pour.

The Miz had the good sense to get out of there when the bell rang. Everybody seemed to be afraid of the new Dean Ambrose, everyone was grateful that his wrath was directed at Seth and not at them. As Seth weakly tried to fight back against a man he'd considered his brother, he couldn't help but wonder why Dean had become this way.

Seth wasn't sure if this was a late payment for the sins of his past, or if this was a long bubbling resentment that had finally exploded. Maybe jealousy and greed had played a hand in Dean's new attitude, but it was hard to say with no explanation. Was Dean jealous of Seth's success, his Hall of Fame-caliber career? Dean was a future Hall of Fame Superstar in his own right, but he hadn't had the kind of success that Seth had. Perhaps Dean had wanted to be seen on Seth and Roman's level, not just as an eccentric buffoon that kids clapped for.

He grabbed Seth by the back of the head, dragging him by the hair to the ropes. He propped Seth up so that his bloodied face was visible on the hard camera, red staining the red ropes. The crowd gasped in horror as the blood poured thick down Seth's face.

"_This is your hero!" _Dean yelled out mockingly. The crowd jeered. A young girl in the front row was sobbing. Dean focused his attention on her, dressed in a New Day T-shirt. "Look at him, sweetheart – look what you've done to him. _This is your fault." _Dean stepped back, allowing Seth to fall to the canvas. He pointed at the crowd. "_This is all your fault_."

He looked at Seth, who was leaned against the ropes. He leaned down a little, his grin mocking, eyes twinkling with malevolence. "You gonna do something, hero?" he taunted. "Come on. Get up. Fight me like a man." Dean raised his fists mockingly. "Come on, Seth – show this crowd what you're made of. Show me what you're made of."

Reaching for the top rope, Seth dragged himself to his feet. He slammed his foot down on the canvas like he was preparing for a superkick. Dean straightened his posture, making a "bring it" sign with both his hands. His grin was downright arrogant. Furious, Seth charged, an attempt at one last stand…

…Only to be dropped with the Dirty Deeds.

Facedown on the canvas, laying once again in a pool of his own blood, he was unconscious. Dean placed his foot on the back of Seth's neck, holding his head down to the canvas, grinning at a crowd that was furious. He was aware of something hitting the back of his jacket, and he'd realized that a fan had thrown something at him. He didn't bother turning around to see what it was.

"Get used to this," Dean announced, pointing down at Seth's unconscious, bloodied body. "We're just getting started."


	3. Allies and Enemies

"_**Oh, I'll never kill myself to save my soul. **_

_**I was gone but how was I to know?**_

_**I didn't come this far to sink so low,**_

_**I'm finally holding on to letting go."**_

_**Slipknot, "Unsainted"**_

* * *

**Chapter Two:**

**Allies and Enemies**

* * *

**For the second week in a row, Jory found herself frozen behind the wheel of her rental car. **

She looked a little better than the week before, but not by a wide margin; sure, there was a little more pallor to her skin, but the sadness in her eyes and the exhaustion on her face was still present. Jory still wasn't sure how to begin climbing out of the hole she'd fallen into, but she knew upon climbing out that she would be walking on scorched earth. Days passed; with each day, Jory found herself crying less, but she was still in mourning. Over the past seven days, she'd finally gotten rid of the pictures of her and Seth she'd hung around the house, closing them up in a box and putting them up in her closet. She wasn't the type to rip or burn photographs, and she had no idea where things were headed, so she put them out of sight so she wouldn't have to look at him.

Jory was still as depressed as she'd ever felt, but as the hours passed she found it a little easier to put her foot forward and fake it. When she went back home and spent her time with her father and his girlfriend, she was able to forget about him for a time. But that dread she felt of running into him had settled into the pit of her stomach. She hadn't seen him face-to-face since Melbourne, but she knew eventually they would cross paths; they were colleagues, and arenas were only so big. But it wasn't something she was looking forward to at all.

_Raw _was airing live from Atlanta, Georgia, and it promised to be the perfect ending to a tense and frustrating week. She hoped to avoid Baron Corbin for as long as she could; she knew once he saw her that he was going to demand her decision, and she was going to be forced to confess that since she'd refused his offer, she hadn't given it a second thought. She hadn't spent the week weighing the pros and cons of what being an administrative assistant under Baron Corbin's regime would entail, and she hadn't spent the week seeking out advice from trusted friends and family members about what to do. She'd said no and moved on with her life, knowing full well that Baron wasn't going to like her answer.

In her pain and turmoil of the last few months, Jory had been wise enough to pay attention to the people around her and her surroundings, and in that time she felt like she'd seen enough. Jory had heard enough of Baron's words, had read his actions and body language enough to know that all she would be doing would be rejoining The Authority, and she had zero interest in taking a step backward in her career. Sure, there was a new player or two at the helm, but it was the same old nonsense with a fresh coat of paint.

_"Never trust a McMahon__" _was an ancient pro wrestling proverb, a lesson that she'd learned firsthand and she'd promised herself she would never forget. She would never forgive Hunter and Stephanie for locking up her career, for all the headaches, bumps, and bruises they'd given her. She had no idea how Baron convinced them that she was fit for the job, or how Baron could ever think she would take him up on the offer. In hindsight, being thrown out of Hunter and Stephanie's nest had been the best move, and while it took a long while, she was finally accepted by her peers. She wouldn't trade that feeling for anything in the world. Baron would figure it out later on, but, like Seth and Jory, he had to figure it out for himself.

Baron was going to be angry, and Jory was willing to accept that and any of the consequences that resulted, including the end of their friendship. If they became enemies, she was willing to live with it if it meant just being okay with the woman staring back at her in the mirror. Selling her soul for the second time in her career was out of the question.

"Are you ready to become public enemy number one again?" Jory dryly asked her reflection in the rear-view mirror. Tired green eyes stared back at her. Her words hung limply in the car. After a moment, and a deep sigh, Jory slipped her keys into the pocket of her tan blazer and got out of the rental car, slamming the door behind her. She rounded to the back of the car to grab her bags, so caught up in her thoughts that she could barely hear the cheering and shouting of the crowd that had gathered on the other side of the barricade. _Things are going to get a hell of a lot worse before they get better, Jory. Remember that. No matter how deep, how black it gets, remember that. _

She approached the fans, tacking a plastic smile on her face as she signed autographs and took pictures she didn't want to take. Fans asked her about Seth Rollins. Jory did her best to pretend like she couldn't hear those fans over the others, but the questions hit her in the heart. She said goodbye to the fans, told them to have fun at the show, and then dragged her bag behind her as she made her way inside the building, nodding a greeting to Ember Moon on the way in. At the match card, she saw Baron had put her in a match against Nia Jax later on in the evening. Knowing what her plan was, Jory continued to walk towards the women's locker room, scanning the area for escape routes in the event she ran into either Seth or Baron.

"Dead bitch walking on the concrete mile!"

Jory's shoulders sagged. Turning, she saw Sasha approach with Bayley, both women dressed in their ring gear and nursing cups of coffee. Jory shook her head, narrowing her eyes to show she was visibly annoyed by Sasha's outburst. "Seriously? Could you shout that any louder back here?" she hissed through gritted teeth. Sasha threw her head back and laugh.

"Oh, I get it - you're trying to avoid Baron Corbin," Sasha pointed out. "Well, just so you know, the man is looking for you. He said it's important. He's stationed in front of the women's locker room right now waiting for the first sign of you, so it must be _really _important."

Jory's shoulders sagged. "Great."

Bayley shot her friend a sympathetic look, her lips pulling into a thin line. "There's an empty room available by the ambulance area. You might want to change there if you're hoping to avoid him a little while longer," Bayley told her gently. Jory looked at Bayley and nodded.

"Thank you."

"Be careful tonight," Bayley advised her. Jory nodded. Sasha sipped her coffee.

"Well, we gotta go. Good luck tonight."

Jory walked past them, headed in the opposite direction of the women's locker room. All she wanted to do was avoid Baron until her match was finished and he couldn't tinker with the stipulation in anger. After that, she'd face him, woman-to-man, and tell him that she wasn't going to take him up on his offer.

* * *

**Walking down the hall with a swagger in his step, his head held high and his shoulders back, Elias felt like a brand-new man. **All week long he'd been telling himself that had he known hitting Baron Corbin across the back with his Fender guitar would make him feel so great and improve his standing in the eyes of the fans, he would have done it sooner. He knew damn well he wasn't the only man on the roster who had been entertaining thoughts of beating Baron Corbin within an inch of his life for the headaches he'd been causing for the past few months. He also knew that Stephanie hadn't sent Kurt out of the company for some rest and relaxation; she'd sent him on a _permanent _vacation, and as each week passed it became less and less likely that Kurt would ever return back to his post.

There was tension in the air. He could feel it. But he knew it had nothing to do with him. Sure, some people had pulled him aside and told him that Baron could be looking to retaliate against him for what he'd done the week before, but Elias wasn't worried about it; in fact, if Baron wanted to try anything at all with him, Elias was more than willing to put him back down on the ground and leave him there like he had the week before.

The heavy feeling of dread in the air had to do with the rumors surrounding Jordana Moody. As far as Elias was concerned, she was the worst kind of woman: the kind who could find any and all kinds of trouble at the drop of a hat. She was a magnet for bad luck and bad people, and while common sense dictated he step out of the frame, he couldn't help the concern he felt for her safety.

He'd hoped to run into her the week before. He hadn't seen her since he'd come across her in the elevator in Melbourne, fresh off her breakup with Seth Rollins. Elias wasn't about to admit it out loud to anyone, but he was curious about how she was holding up. Her Instagram comments and Twitter mentions still resembled a dumpster fire; teenage fans raked Jory over the coals. They felt validated that her relationship with Seth hadn't worked out. He'd learned more about grammar and syntax reading her feeds than he had in all of his years of schooling.

Tony Nese, one of the Cruiserweight wrestlers on _205 Live_, and a guy who could have easily passed for Elias' brother, had mentioned to him at the airport that he'd learned from Drew Gulak that Baron was looking for an assistant and had Jory in mind for the job. When Elias had asked how Drew knew, Tony revealed that Drew overheard Corey Graves talking to Baron about it before a commentary meeting Drew had sat in on. Tony had also passed along the information that Jory had turned it down, but Baron was sure she would come around. Elias knew that Baron wasn't going to take no for an answer, and after asking around and doing some shallow digging, he'd learned that Tony had been right and that Baron had set her deadline for that evening. Nobody knew what she was going to do, but a few people openly stated that she would be stupid to make an enemy of the General Manager, especially after everything she'd been through with Hunter and Stephanie.

Elias wasn't sure what she'd do. Some people said she'd reveal her character when he came to her for a decision, and most seemed to believe that she was still the same Jordana Moody she'd been with Hunter and Stephanie. Elias' concern was that Baron Corbin was a gleeful bully, and if Jory didn't answer the way he wanted, he had no illusions about the lengths Baron would go to in order to make Jory regret her decision. He wasn't saying Jory was helpless; he was sure she could handle herself just fine - most women in the business could - but he also knew that Baron overpowered her in every literal sense.

"_Stuck us in boxes, that's where you want us. Cardboard is boring - look how it burns."_

Elias' ears perked at the feminine vocals. It was Jory's music blaring through the speakers, echoing backstage from the main area of the arena. He'd seen on the match card earlier in the evening that she had a match against Nia Jax, and he knew it was going to be a physical bout. Nia Jax was wrestling royalty, a powerhouse. He moved around the corner and found himself in the interview area, where Charly Caruso stood in front of the monitor with her arms crossed, her eyes slightly narrowed as she watched the screen. She was dressed in a hot pink dress with black sides and black shoes, her dark brown hair framing her face in waves. Elias approached, silently taking his place beside her.

Charly was surprised to see Elias; if he wasn't scheduled to be out in the ring or in her vicinity for an interview, then Elias was a ghost. His reputation was that of a loner, of someone who drifted around the arena virtually undetected in spite of his size and stature. But here he was, standing beside her, eyes on the monitor. Charly followed his gaze and saw he was watching Jory make her way down to the ring. From her periphery, she studied him. _Interesting development. Why would he be interested in a women's match?_

_Emerald green is a great color on her. _

The thought hit Elias out of nowhere, and he blinked, surprised at the suddenness of it. He couldn't disagree, however; with her dark brown hair, tanned skin, and green eyes, it just..._worked_. He watched her get into the ring, and she began pacing back and forth while she waited for her music to quit playing and for Nia Jax to make her presence known on the stage.

Instead of Nia's music on the speakers, the lights dimmed and the double-bass drums of Baron Corbin's music began to play. The camera moved to Jory, and he saw her demeanor shift from focused to miserable in a span of seconds. Charly let out a sound that resembled a sigh.

"I guess now is the deadline," Charly told him. "What do you think she's going to do?"

"I don't know, but she doesn't look happy to see him," Elias observed. He realized right away that Baron was hoping to use the crowd to put pressure on Jory to publicly accept the position he'd offered her. Elias put nothing past Baron; he was a sneaky, underhanded individual. "It's hard to turn someone down in front of a crowd that size," Elias pointed out. Charly shook her head in disgust.

"That's probably what he's banking on, but who knows with her?" They were quiet for a few moments. "Seth seems to think there's something between them." Elias shrugged.

"That's on him, but he's misread the situation entirely," Elias replied. Charly looked at him, unable to keep the surprise off her face.

"How do you know that?" she asked. Elias looked at her.

"I just do. Excuse me." Charly watched Elias leave the interview area. He made his way down the hall. Suddenly, in her eyes, "The Drifter" had become a fascinating character in the ongoing saga of Jordana Moody.

* * *

**"Shit."**

Over the music pumping in the speakers and the loud jeering of the crowd, Jory's obscenity died in the noise. She watched, bemused, as Baron made his way down to the ring, dressed all in black, complete with a black vest. He smiled at her like he hadn't seen her in years, his arms outstretched. Jory crossed her arms over her chest and took a step back as Baron climbed up the ring steps. He walked past her, flashing her a smile as he crossed the canvas to grab microphones. He handed one to her and kept one for himself. She gripped it like it was a security blanket. She held onto it as if it were the only thing that was going to keep her safe when everything went south. She stayed glued to her spot, silently praying to herself that things would turn out okay, in spite of the gut feeling she had. Her instincts were telling her to get the hell out of the ring and make it backstage.

_Once you say no, sweetheart, don't be surprised if things get ugly in a hurry. Don't say I didn't warn you. _

"Please don't do this out here," Jory pleaded with him off-mic. Baron ignored her, moving the microphone to his lips as the lights returned to normal and his music ceased. "Baron, please..."

"Ladies and gentlemen, Jordana Moody!" Baron introduced, throwing his arm out towards her to draw attention to her presence with him inside the ring. The crowd booed and jeered, and Jory felt herself shrink. She sucked in a breath and struggled to keep her nerves steeled. She couldn't think of another moment in her life where she'd felt so uneasy; while she'd had an inkling that she would be thrown out of The Authority, at least she hadn't seen her dismissal coming in the grand scheme of things. Nikki's attack had been swift; at this moment she was standing in front of a barrel of dynamite while the fuse burned to the quick, hoping that the forthcoming explosion wouldn't blow her to bits. It was a terrible feeling, and she knew that what she was about to do would dictate her path moving forward, for better or worse.

"Don't do this here," she pleaded, off-mic, once again, but he once again ignored her request.

"I was talking to Jordana last week...seven days ago, Stephanie McMahon gave me the power to try and find an assistant to help me balance the workload of being the _acting Raw _General Manager as well as a WWE Superstar." He paused and grinned while the crowd showered hate and abuse on him. Baron turned his attention from the crowd to Jory. "I gave you a week to consider the offer, but now, Jory, your time is up - I needed an answer, like, yesterday." He approached her. "So, let's make it official. Tell everyone here that you've accepted the offer, and that you are going to be my assistant moving forward."

He looked at her expectantly, mouthing "yes" at her, trying to coax her to do exactly what he wanted. Jory sighed. She looked up at the lights and thought about everything she'd been through since leaving The Authority. She thought about the night he'd come to her needing a backup model for his clothing line, and how they'd spent nights drinking, singing metal karaoke at country bars and visiting haunted houses. Once upon a time, there had been a seed of a sweet human being in there. As she thought about that, the bad thoughts began to seep in, thoughts about his paranoia, his condescension, the collapse of her relationship with Seth, his treatment of her friends and colleagues.

_He wants you to say yes, but do you really want to put yourself through being the odd one out again when this shit goes south, Jory? Think about that._

Steeling herself, finding the resolve she'd maintained all week when he hadn't been hovering in her personal space, Jory brought the microphone to her lips and said one word:

"No."

The crowd erupted. It took Baron a moment to realize she'd turned him down, and he stepped away from her as if she'd burst into flames. His expression was one of genuine shock and surprise and it confirmed to Jory that he'd ignored her the week before. Moving across the ring like a caged animal, he stopped and took a deep breath. She could see he was angry. His fists were clenching.

"Remember what we talked about last week, Jordana. Remember..."

"We didn't talk," Jory cut in. "_You _talked. _You _didn't listen to a damn thing I had to say. I told you no last week and it. Still. Stands. No, Baron. No. I will _not _be your assistant. I will _not _have any part in what you're doing to my friends and colleagues. I will _not. Ever. _I will not stand by while you're drunk with your own power, playing with people's lives."

"You self-righteous _bitch_," Baron snarled. The crowd jeered. Jory's eyes narrowed. "You didn't say anything about this last week, and now all of a sudden you're going to just pick up your banner for people who don't give a damn about you? Don't fool yourself, Jordana - you and I are a lot alike..."

"We're nothing alike. _Nothing_." She took a step towards him, emboldened by her anger. "For _months_ I've had to defend our friendship. For _months _I've had to tell everyone there was still something good in you while you morphed into someone I didn't recognize right in front of my eyes. But I know better now. You're in too deep, and I don't want any part of what you're doing. Not now, not ever, Baron."

"You bitch," Baron retorted. "I didn't hear _any _of these complaints when I was doing everything in my power to make you the number one contender to the _Raw _Women's Championship. When I was doing everything to position _you _as _The _Woman on this brand. And how do I get repaid for all of this? How? You stand here and bite the hand that feeds you when all I want to do is give you an opportunity, an opportunity so easy that you couldn't _possibly _fail at it. Not like you've failed at everything else." Jory glowered at him.

"Does the truth hurt, Jordana? What have you really done since you beat Stephanie at _WrestleMania_? I mean, besides being bed buddies with Seth Rollins." The crowd shouted "Oh!" Jory wasn't surprised to find hot tears burning behind her eyes, but she was not about to give Baron the satisfaction of crying. "And you even _failed _at that."

Furious, Jory swung, slapping him with every ounce of anguish and fury she could put behind her hand. The sound of flesh connecting echoed through the arena and the crowd became unglued. Baron staggered back, shocked, holding the side of his burning face. She took a step towards him, microphone to her lips.

"You son of a bitch, I've never, _ever _needed your help," she told him. "So I win some, so I lose some. But I'll lose every day of my life if it means I never have to sell my soul ever again." She threw the microphone down. "Fuck. You." She told him off-mic. She turned to leave, desperate to get away from him.

She felt his hand clamp around her arm and she was quickly dragged back into him. It took her a moment to realize that Baron had physically put his hands on her. Then, she was clasped around him, in the air, ready to eat an End of Days, and in that brief moment of clarity, Jory accepted that her friendship with Baron Corbin was officially over, that it had died a very public death.

Then, he dropped her. She fell on the canvas on her hip. Jory felt the canvas move and she quickly scampered out of the way, towards the corner where she could catch her breath. Looking up, she saw Elias brawling with Baron Corbin, and she realized that she would never be so happy to see him again at any point in her life. She couldn't keep the shock off her face, but the crowd was behind Elias, singing "Oh, Walk With Elias" to the tune of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army". Elias had the upper hand, and he quickly sent Baron sailing over the top rope, to the ground below. Grabbing the ropes, Jory pulled herself to her feet and slowly walked to the middle of the ring, taking her place beside Elias. He looked over at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Her hand moved to her neck, where she could still feel his arm wrapped around it.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine. Jesus Christ. Thank you. I owe you."

"Not quite Jesus, but I'll take it nonetheless," he told her. She shot him a look, her stoic expression fading into an amused smile.

Her attention was yanked back to Baron. A referee was running to him with a microphone. Baron looked between the two of them. "Oh, you've just made a big mistake," he growled. Elias and Jory exchanged glances with each other, pointing at each other, trying to figure out which one he was referring to. "I'm referring to both of you idiots!" he bellowed. He turned his focus on Jory.

"You stay right there. You, too," he said, looking at Elias. "You two want to fight so bad? Your match is now a mixed tag team match. Nia's partner is going to be someone you know very well...Drew McIntyre!"

The lights changed, and the sound of bagpipes pierced into their eardrums. She looked at Elias. "I am so, so sorry."

Elias looked at her and saw the sadness in her eyes. He shook his head. "Don't get defeated on me now, sweetheart - we're still in this." She stared at him for a moment, before she nodded and turned her attention back to the stage.

Dressed in his black gear with his black leather coat, Drew walked down the ramp with a confident swagger and a cocky smirk. He stopped at the foot of the ramp to give a fist-bump to Baron, his gaze locked on Elias. Drew's music shifted to Nia's. Jory watched her friend walk down to the ring, shaking her head at Jory as she moved. Following Elias' lead, Jory straightened her posture and held her shoulders back. _You made the right decision. No matter what happens here, you did the right thing, and if it means you're going to go down, then go down swinging, Jory. You owe that to yourself. _

* * *

_**Look at that. She looks happier than she ever did with you. Cutting the dead weight was the best thing she ever did. **_

"Shut up, brain," Seth murmured. He did his best to push the negative voice out of his head. He watched the monitor backstage, his eyes narrowed, his arms crossed over his chest. The employees around him could feel the tension radiating off his body in waves. It hadn't been his intention to stand at the monitor, out in the open, and watch the mixed tag match, but he'd seen it on the monitor on the way back from a meeting with the medical staff.

Once again she'd burned her professional world to the ground, but this time felt different. He could feel it through the screen. There was a new fire within her, new energy that just felt so _pure. _It had captured his attention, and he'd stopped to watch while his brain berated him for everything he'd done.

_It looks like she moved on without you. With Elias, of all people. Does she have a type or what?_

Seth huffed. His jaw had tightened when Elias got the pin and Jory had launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his midsection, elated that they had won their impromptu mixed tag team match. While his thoughts grew wild and ran away from him, he'd watched Elias _very _closely, watched a visibly uncomfortable Elias wrap an arm around Jory's shoulders and give her a couple of quick pats. He'd said something to her before leaving the ring, and Seth's interest was piqued. _What did he say to her? Was it about me? What the fuck is wrong with me?__ Look at me - I spent all this time worrying about Baron Corbin, and apparently I haven't been paying attention. Fuck. _

He knew exactly what was wrong with him. Jory had pulled the plug on him, had withdrawn her love and support, and he felt like he was freefalling. Provoking Jory in Australia had failed, and he now had to struggle with the fact that while she had been the one to end their relationship, he was the one who'd drawn first blood. Since their split, she'd managed to avoid him like The Plague. She was making it more than clear that there was no more talking, that she didn't need him.

Bayley had told him she was aware of his comments to Lilian, but she wasn't attacking him, wasn't publicly commenting on it. It had been another attempt to open up some kind of conversation, and it had failed. Bayley said she was sure Jory was angry, but she wasn't showing it. She wasn't about to give Seth the time of day, and he had to live with that.

He wished Baron Corbin would just evaporate. Baron Corbin had ruined his life. _Five minutes alone. That's all I would need. __Without Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre, of course. _

"Hey."

Turning his head, he saw Bayley approach, ducking underneath some wires to join him. She'd already competed and defeated Dana Brooke, had already had a shower and changed into blue jeans and a Fall Out Boy T-shirt underneath a black moto jacket. Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, away from her face. Seth gave her a small wave. "Hey," he greeted as she took her place beside him. They watched as Jory made her way up the ramp. They were quiet for a few moments.

"Have you had a chance to talk to her yet?" Bayley asked. Seth shook his head.

"Nope. She's doing a great job of avoiding me." Bayley shot him a sad smile. Both of her friends were hurting, and she hated to see it.

"She'll come around eventually. She's just, really, really upset."

"She looked awfully chummy with Elias out there," Seth commented. "When did they become friends?"

"I don't know. Maybe they aren't. Maybe he just went out there because he laid out Baron last week," Bayley told him. She looked over at Seth. "I mean, you could have run to save her if you'd really wanted."

"I never would have made it in time. Not that it matters anyway since Elias has suddenly turned into Sir Fucking Galahad..."

Bayley bit back a smile at his obvious jealousy. "She's happy because they won. You're reading into this way too much."

"Has she told you anything?" he asked.

"No, but we're friends, so she's probably being really careful around me these days," Bayley confessed sadly.

"Have you heard if she's heard the podcast yet?" he asked. Bayley shook her head.

"As far as I know, she's not talking to _anyone _about it." She gave him a pat on the shoulder. "I know you're angry and you're hurting, but lying is a terrible look on you, Seth. Don't make it part of your wardrobe."

He nodded, and she left him. Seth turned his attention back to the monitor, once again alone with his jealous thoughts. He needed to focus; if he didn't, Dean Ambrose was going to mow him down once again.

* * *

**Their paths were now intertwined for an indefinite amount of time. **

Walking through the curtain that separated Gorilla from backstage, Jory realized that once again, she was in a position where management hated her and could play with her livelihood. Once again she was going to be at a perpetual disadvantage. It was disheartening, but at least all she had was the women's division. She realized it was going to be worse for Elias, who could potentially be locked out of every single division - the United States, Intercontinental, World, Universal, and tag divisions. She was just enemies with Baron; Elias had inherited Drew and Bobby as part of the package.

She spotted Elias, already making his way down the hall, dressed in nothing but his jeans and shoes, his scarves in hand. His stance was a little hunched, and she realized that he was probably sore from some of Drew's shots. Watching him walk, her expression became sympathetic. After a moment, she followed him. "Elias! Elias, wait...please."

Jory's voice was soft, so quiet that Elias had barely heard her. He stopped, turning as she approached. He looked her over, noting the exhaustion on her face. Her makeup was smudged from sweating and headlocks. Her hair hung limp and flat around her face. Jory looked up at him, seeing the exhaustion in his eyes as well.

There was a thick, awkward silence between the two of them. They both realized that for all their run-ins and music listening sessions, they knew little to nothing about each other.

"I know you didn't have to come out there and save my sorry ass tonight, but I'm really grateful that you did," she told him, her gaze moving from his face to the floor. "I'm so, so sorry that your life is going to become a living hell..."

"...Because of you?" he asked. She looked at him and shook her head.

"No, but I don't think I've helped your situation at all," she told him honestly. Elias shrugged.

"Don't even worry about it. You're welcome." He moved to walk away.

"Wait. Please."

He stopped. Turning back to her, he caught a glimpse of the sadness in her eyes, and it left him with a surprising pang in his chest. "Thank you. Thank you for your message a couple of weeks ago. I'm really sorry I didn't answer you back. I know it was rude, but I just...wasn't ready to talk..."

"It's fine," he assured her. He gave her a comforting smile. "What, you don't think I haven't had my heart broken a time or two?" he asked her. She nodded, giving him a smile that looked crooked and sad and not at all the way she'd intended it to look. He reached out with his free hand and patted her shoulder. "I know you don't need me to tell you, but you did a brave thing tonight, Jory. Just...be careful moving forward, all right? You're no good to anyone on the shelf."

"You be careful, too," she told him. He moved to leave. "Elias."

He smiled and shook his head, but he turned back to her. "Yes?"

"Well...I'm traveling with Bayley tonight, but next week I'm by myself. I...I feel like I owe you, so after the show...can I get you dinner or something? Just to say thanks for not leaving me to eat canvas tonight."

Elias thought about it. She expected him to turn her down. To her surprise, he nodded. "Sure. Next week we are in my neck of the woods. I know a little place if you're up for it."

"It sounds like a plan. Thank you again. I've tied you up enough for tonight. Just...be safe, okay?"

"That goes for you, too, Jory. Thank you for being a great partner."

"No. Thank you. I mean that." They nodded at each other and walked down the hall. He turned back to see her still looking at him, and he couldn't help but smirk to himself when she looked like a deer in the headlights, quickly turning to look at something else.

* * *

_**"So go get your shovel, and we'll dig a deep hole, to bury the castle, bury the castle…"**_

Given the recent events of her life, and the turmoil of her evening, Jory kept her gaze on the road and did everything in her power to phase out the deeply personal lyrics of Hayley Williams. Her passenger was dictating the music they were listening to on the trip to the next town, and Jory realized a few of the bands she heard made her think of Seth, which made her never want to hear the songs again. Instead of allowing the lyrics to be applied to her current state of life, Jory instead decided to focus on the things that waited for her in the next town: a bottle of red wine and a comfortable bed.

Bayley reached out and turned the song down as the song changed from Paramore to Bring Me the Horizon. "So...Elias, huh?"

"Don't. It's not what you think."

"No need to get defensive, Jory. I'm not thinking anything about the two of you," Bayley insisted. "It's just...Seth seems to think..."

"That's one more thought than he's had in months," Jory murmured to herself.

"What?"

"Nothing, Bayley. It's his problem. I don't care."

"You do so." Bayley sighed. "You can't just talk to him?"

Jory had a sudden urge to open the driver's side door and throw herself from the moving vehicle. "There's nothing to say."

Bayley nodded. They were quiet for a moment. "I'm insinuating nothing about you and Elias. I just...I didn't know the two of you were friendly."

"We're colleagues." Thinking about it, Jory wasn't sure what they were, either. Could they be friends if she just listened to him play music and they didn't know anything about each other? She realized the two of them had never had any kind of deep conversation, and the realization blew her mind. She'd been sitting with him for weeks, him with her, and they knew nothing.

"Seth was asking about him."

"It's none of his business." Jory adjusted her rear-view mirror.

"He told me he regrets the podcast..."

"Bayley, with all due respect, could you just...stay out of this?" Jory asked firmly. She'd tried to make it sound as polite as she could, but she realized there was no real way to do it. "He might want to make this a public affair, but I'm not interested. At all. This is between him and me, and nobody else."

Bayley was stung, but Jory was too frustrated to be aware of Bayley's emotions. _Jesus Christ, I'm not defined by Seth Fucking Rollins. My worth is worth more than just being his...oh, what the hell was I? I mean, shit, he didn't see me as his girlfriend. I guess I'm worth more than just being his bed-warmer. Fuck him. Ugh. _

Reaching out, Jory turned up the radio, and they drove to the next town cloaked in a thick, awkward silence.


	4. Endless War

**_"I wonder how can I go on and on,_**

**_When you want to bury my passion_**

**_You are the shell around_**

**_I cannot escape, and I swallow my pride"_**

**_Lacuna Coil, "Entwined"_**

* * *

**Chapter Three:**

**Endless War**

* * *

**Seth waved to the fans that had gathered behind the steel barricades in the back parking lot of the arena as he dragged his luggage behind him. **He was dressed comfortably for the brisk autumn afternoon, in black skinny jeans and a Black and Brave T-shirt underneath a black business blazer. His black hair was tied low in a bun so he could comfortably wear his Blackcraft cap backward on his head. He moved confidently, shoulders back, head held high, seemingly unafraid of what the night had in store for him.

Fans yelled and screamed for him, but Seth didn't approach the barricade to entertain their request. His only thought at that moment was to find his locker room and bunker down. For the past few weeks, Dean Ambrose had been getting the drop on him, and he was becoming desperate to reverse his fortunes. For the past two weeks, _Raw _had gone off the air with Dean standing over his bloodied, broken body, and it was beginning to take a toll on Seth's psyche. He _needed _to end the night one step ahead of the Lunatic Fringe; he felt like everything he'd worked for was riding on it.

The weather in Pittsburgh was beautiful, but not warm enough to warrant going out without a jacket. Seth liked Pennsylvania - the state was a hotbed for professional wrestling, and Pittsburgh was the home of Hall of Fame greats Kurt Angle and Bruno Sammartino. Being in Kurt's hometown, Seth assumed that Kurt would be at the show, but he saw on Instagram that Kurt was out of town with his family. He couldn't help but wonder if that was Stephanie's design. As every day passed, it became increasingly clear to everyone that Kurt's vacation was of the permanent variety.

"Seth! Seth Rollins, a moment, please!"

Seth turned at the sound of a distinctly feminine voice, the smile splitting his face as he saw Charly Caruso approach as quickly as she could in her sky-high Louboutin heels. The dress she wore was black with rivets, tight enough to pass as another layer of skin. Her hair was curled, her eyes smoky and her lips glossy wet. In her perfectly manicured hands she held a WWE microphone.

"Hey - Charles!" he greeted cheerfully. She shook her head, a beautiful smile lighting up her face.

"Seth, I know that it hasn't been an easy couple of weeks for you, what with Dean Ambrose seemingly going off the rails. What I want to know is, how are..."

Charly had no time to finish her question; she barely had time to move out of the way as Dean Ambrose flew seemingly out of nowhere. He landed on Seth, knocking him into a black sedan. They began trading shots, rapid rabbit punches to the ribs and anywhere else they could land a shot. Dean brought his knee up, but Seth was able to block it and hit Dean with a knee of his own. He could hear Dean's breath release in a loud _whoosh _by his ear, and Seth knew he'd landed the shot he needed to turn the fight around. He pushed his weight as hard as he could against Dean, who reached out for Seth as he stumbled. Seth dodged, grabbing Dean by the collar of his jacket and the waistband of his pants and hurling him over the hood of the sedan.

With the car providing a brief moment of separation between the former brothers, Seth took a quick step back before he turned and grabbed his suitcase, running past Charly, towards the doors of the arena. Gobsmacked, Charly looked over at the sedan. Dean was holding onto the hood, pulling himself to his feet. Seth had gotten a shot in on Dean's face; a small trail of blood oozed from the left side.

Dean stumbled before regaining his footing. "You son of a bitch," Dean growled, wiping the blood away with his fist. He shook the cobwebs out of his head and moved his head from side to side to work the kinks out of his neck. He never acknowledged Charly's presence, but she watched him stomp towards the door Seth had just run into.

Charly's smile was long gone, replaced by lips pursed into a narrow line. She shook her head. "I'm going to have to tell Baron about this."

* * *

**Bayley found Jory sitting alone in her usual spot among the trunks, production trucks, and ambulances, with headphones in her ears and a notebook and pen in her hands. **Jory didn't hear Bayley approach until she saw the woman in her periphery. With a sigh, Jory put her pen in her notebook and closed it. She took her headphones off so they rested around her neck and looked over at her friend, who was already dressed in her peach and blue ring gear, her brown hair already tied up in a side ponytail and fastened with a headband.

The first thing she noticed was that Bayley looked excited. She looked like she was bursting at the seams to tell Jory something. "What is it?" Jory asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Dean and Seth got into a brawl in the parking lot. Charly saw everything!" Bayley exclaimed excitedly. Bayley saw the change in Jory's expression when she mentioned their names, and her announcement hung awkwardly in the air between them. After a moment, Bayley's smile faltered when Jory met her excitement with a shrug and readjusted herself on the trunk. Bayley motioned at Jory. "You're really going to sit here and act like you don't care?"

"It's not acting."

Bayley shook her head. "Don't be like that, Jory. Don't get cynical. I know you still care. I know you're worried about him with how off-the-rails Dean has become."

"You don't know anything. It's not my problem anymore."

Bayley's face showed her disappointment. At that moment, Bayley didn't feel like she knew Jory at all. "Jory, you're being childish," Bayley chided. Jory scowled at Bayley.

"You're being nosy," Jory shot back. "I left that whole situation, and if I never got dragged back into it, I'd sleep just fine at night." Jory shook her head, and her expression softened. "Look, Bayley, I know you mean well, and I know you care about both of us. This situation is what it is..." Jory trailed off, the scowl returning to her face. Bayley turned her head.

Seth had rounded the corner. When he saw Jory standing with Bayley, he stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening as if he'd seen a ghost. The look she gave him burned into every patch of exposed skin. Underneath her gaze, he felt small.

_Yep. She fucking hates me. _

Bayley looked relieved to see him. When she turned back, Jory had grabbed her notebook and was leaving. "Jory..." Bayley called out. Seth reached out and touched her shoulder.

"Bayley, it's okay," he told her softly. "Jory!" he called out.

She kept walking.

"Jory - please. I'm sorry," he called after her.

That stopped her.

Jory turned to him now, and he could see all the anger and pain behind her eyes. Seth removed his hand from Bayley's shoulder. He moved to approach, but she held up a hand, effectively stopping him in his tracks.

"You will _never _be as sorry as I am," she told him in disgust. Her words hit Seth like a punch in the chest. Turning on her heels, Jory left. She never turned to look back at them. Bayley put her hands on her hips and sighed.

"So...she's still angry," Seth said after a moment when she was out of earshot.

"It certainly appears that way," Bayley agreed, her lips pursing. She looked over at him. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. We tried it, it didn't work. If this is her idea of professional, then this is how it's gonna be. It is what it is."

* * *

_**"Oh...walk with Elias..."**_

Sitting alone in the middle of the ring underneath a solitary spotlight, Elias grinned at the crowd chanting for him to the tune of "Seven Nation Army". He had to admit that it was catchy, that the fans were definitely a creative bunch. Their singing and chanting only lifted his mood. Since laying out Baron Corbin with his guitar, Elias felt like he was on the upswing. He felt like everything was coming up roses.

Last week, in spite of the odds, he'd been victorious with Jory. While it had seemed innocent at the time she'd asked, Elias had spent the entire week reading far too much into her offer for a meal after the show. She'd just broken up with Seth Rollins, and by all accounts, it wasn't a pretty breakup. Was she looking to rebound? Was this a date? Was it an attempt on Jory's part to try and offer him her friendship? On social media, he'd read all the theories and thoughts about his partnership with Jory, and he wondered if he wanted to get tangled up in her web of chaos, failing to realize that he was already in it. His rivalry with Baron Corbin was shared. He was going to be after both of them.

"Hello, I am Elias," he stated when the crowd died down. He strummed his guitar a bit, coming to a stop when the lights changed and Baron's music echoed through the arena. Elias looked up at the stage and nodded. He'd been expecting this. Not because he always got interrupted while he was trying to entertain the crowd, but because he knew Baron Corbin was going to be looking for blood after being humiliated two weeks in a row.

Baron stepped on the stage angrily, dressed all in black with a red, black and burgundy blazer. "That's enough. This stops now." The house lights came up and Baron began pacing back and forth on the stage before he made his way down the ramp. "I'm sure you and that bitch Jordana Moody are laughing that you two managed to pull one over on me last week, but I'm telling you right now that it ends here. I am the acting _Raw _General Manager, and if you won't respect me, then I'm just going to have to beat some respect into you!"

Elias snorted. He wasn't afraid of Baron Corbin, or any of the tricks he had up his sleeve. "Do you mind? I'm trying to perform for all of these people here, and you're trying to put them to sleep."

"Ha ha ha," Baron mocked angrily. "If you think I'm done with you after that little stunt you pulled two weeks ago, Elias, then you're dumber than I thought."

Baron stood on the outside of the ring, staring up at Elias. Elias moved his guitar and the stool out of the way. He was pretty sure this was going to end with the two of them brawling, probably with Baron's cronies coming in for the rescue. "I'll tell you what, Baron, since you've got _so _much that you need to get off your chest, why don't you come in here and say it?" he challenged.

Baron's expression changed. The smug arrogance had given way to something that resembled fear and hesitation. Elias shook his head in disgust. After a few moments, when Baron had run through his Rolodex of off-mic excuses, Elias brought the microphone to his lips. "It's funny to me how you're so quick to slander Jordana when the only bitch I see around here is you."

Baron grinned. "Watch your back, Elias."

As soon as he said it, Elias was down on the ground. Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley stood over him and began laying waste to him. Through his hair, Elias could see Baron grinning at him.

Leaning on the apron, Baron got as close as he could to Elias without slipping his head through the ropes. "I forgot to tell you that your match changed. Instead of Sami Zayn, you've got Drew and Bobby in a two on one handicap match, and that match starts..." Baron looked around the crowd, who were booing, jeering and heaping abuse on him. Baron looked back at Elias and his grin morphed into a full-blown smile. "..._Now."_

* * *

**"See, ever since I planted Seth's face in the mat, everyone's been asking me why. **Everyone wants to know why. Everyone wants to know just what is running through my head, they wanna know _how. __How _could I do that to Seth, on such an important night, when we dedicated our win to our fallen brother Roman Reigns. _Why_?"

In the locker room, Seth sat on a steel folding chair, dressed in his gear with no shirt, his hair still in the bun he arrived with. His head was rested on his hands. He wondered where Dean was located; the room was pitch-black, with only a garbage can full of fire. It struck Seth that it looked exactly like the promo Sanity had delivered when they'd arrived on the main roster and turned his whole life upside down.

"We won the match. I did my part. Like I always do. But Seth? Seth hasn't been holding up his end of the deal for a _long _time," Dean confessed. Seth's nostrils flared. He was right, Seth couldn't deny that, but it still wounded his pride and stung his ego to hear it. "Everyone wants to think that Seth is this great guy, but I know the real Seth Rollins. I always have. Seth Rollins has always been that guy who swung the chair, who stuck the knife into the backs of his brothers, and for that reason, I owe none of you a goddamn thing.

"What, you think I forgot? Do you think I forgot how you destroyed the only family I've ever known? Do you think I've forgotten everything you've ever done to me, that everything was water under the bridge once you found a nice girl who made you want to change?" Dean snorted. Seth's eyes narrowed. It was a shot across the bow. He watched Dean move around the canister, getting close to the camera. "I might be a scumbag, Seth, but I can spot my own kind like nobody's business, and _you..._you are a bigger scumbag than I could ever be. The things you've done to your brothers, to your family...you're not absolved yet. You're not absolved of your sins until I tell you that you're absolved, and we haven't even scratched the surface, Seth.

"So here's what I want you to do tonight. I want you to take the rest of the night off. Relax. Get your head together. Because I want you at a hundred percent when we stand in the ring, face to face. I don't want you to have any excuses when I leave you once again laying in a pool of your own blood. But know that what I've given you is only the beginning. I will not be satisfied until you're choking on your own blood in front of everyone you ever loved. I will not be satisfied until you are broken like Roman."

The camera went back to the trio at the commentary table. Renee looked genuinely alarmed by the words her husband had spoken. It was solemn at the table. Seth stood quickly, throwing the chair across the room. "Son of a bitch!" he shouted.

_How _dare _he mention Roman. Fuck him. I'll fucking kill him. I'll break every fucking bone in his body. _

* * *

**"I saw what happened out there. **Are you okay?"

Elias had been on his way back to his locker room to take the hottest shower he could stand and get changed when he heard her voice behind him. He turned and saw Jory approach, still dressed in her burgundy tunic and black leggings. Her hair was tied in a thick braid that fell over her left shoulder. She found out she wasn't competing for the evening, so she was more or less wandering around backstage. Rubbing the back of his neck, Elias nodded. "Yeah. It's going to take a hell of a lot more than those two to keep a guy like me down for the count," he assured her. "Thank you for your concern."

"Thank you for sticking up for me," she told him. "You didn't have to do that."

They fell quiet for a few moments. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Jory..."

"I'm so sorry about what happened out there..."

"Jory." She looked at him, her words dying on her lips. "I know you've trained yourself to think otherwise, but you aren't responsible for anyone's actions but your own," Elias reminded her. "Baron might have gotten himself a win for tonight, but he'll get his next week, and the week after that. And the week after that." She nodded; after the past few months, she wanted to believe in karma.

"If you want to postpone tonight, I completely understand..."

"No. I don't. Not at all," he assured her quickly. "Hell, after everything that's happened tonight, I could probably use a time-out." He eyed her. "Did you want to cancel?"

"No, no, not at all," she answered back just as quickly. "It's just...they attacked you..."

"I'm not hurt any worse than usual," he promised.

"If you insist," she told him. "Just...go see the trainer. Get yourself looked at. Did you want to meet in the parking lot after the show?"

"That sounds perfect," he told her.

"Go get looked at."

"Yes, Mother." She shot him a look. He returned her gaze. After a moment, they exchanged small smiles. Shaking her head, Jory left him. He watched her disappear down the hallway. With a shake of his head, holding onto the back of his neck, Elias put his plans of a shower on hold for a few minutes while he went to the trainer's to get a bag of ice.

* * *

**"Dating your way down the card, are you?"**

Jory almost careened into Baron rounding the corner, and he was on her almost instantly. Like so many others, Baron was intrigued by the new partnership between Jory and Elias that had seemingly come from out of nowhere. Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, Jory refused to dignify his accusations with a response. Baron pressed on. "Did you see what we did to your little boyfriend?"

His smile faltered when she didn't respond. His lips curled into something that resembled a snarl. "What? Aren't you going to try and appeal to my good side, the side you _used to know_..." He used quotations, "...and throw yourself on my mercy for his well-being? Aren't you going to throw yourself on my mercy to save your career? Aren't you going to ask for the side of Baron Corbin that gives a damn?" When she didn't answer him, he reached out and grabbed her to stop her from walking away. Jory yanked her arm out of his grip. "Answer me!"

"I don't waste my breath on the soulless. Personal policy."

Baron glowered at her. He hated to give her credit, but she was standing toe to toe with him, their gazes matched with unbridled fury. "You think you're bold all of a sudden because you somehow latch onto people to back you up? Is that what it is? Let me remind you that Seth Rollins is a failure, and your little _friend_ Elias is a failure, too. You're going to regret turning me down, Jory."

"Do your worst," she told him. "But you can ask your boss - I don't go down so easy."

"I don't want you down. I want you to know your place," he told her sharply. Her eyes narrowed. "My new assistant isn't here this week, but she's assured me that she's up to the task of beating some humility into you." Jory nodded.

"Cool stuff. Tell Alexa I'll be waiting."

"It didn't have to be like this," Baron reminded her. "Remember that when your life is a living hell."

"Likewise, Baron." She stepped away from him. Turning away from him, she left him standing in the hallway, around all the cameras. Baron watched her leave, but like Seth, she didn't turn back to look at him.

* * *

**"Dean Ambrose! **Dean! Come out here and face me, you coward!"

Seth stormed down the concrete hallways, checking in every empty room for any sign of Dean Ambrose. He checked the old Shield hangouts, like the back stairwells, but Dean was nowhere to be found. People cleared the path for Seth. His anger radiated every space he occupied, leaving other Superstars and backstage employees uncomfortable and on edge.

Everyone had seen what Dean said. Everyone had seen Dean drag Seth to the carpet, and Seth knew that some of his colleagues agreed with the words Dean had spoken, even if they were doing a great job of hiding it. He'd thought everything was fine, that everything was back to the way it was before when Dean finally decided to forgive him for the things he'd done, but now he realized it was an elaborate smokescreen. Dean hadn't forgiven anything; he'd just lulled Seth into a false sense of security so he could stick the knife in and twist it when he'd let his guard down.

Dean Ambrose twisted the knife for sure, in a full three hundred and sixty-degree motion. He'd wanted Seth to know the hurt, the betrayal and the rage that Dean had felt when Seth had attacked them, had left Roman and Dean in crumpled heaps.

_You always talk about burning down the kingdom. Well, you burned your own. Right down to the ground. What do you have now, Seth? A kingdom of ashes. That's it. _

"Ambrose!"

"He left."

Seth wheeled around to find Bayley standing behind him, sipping a cup of coffee. "Are you sure?" he asked. She nodded.

"Sasha and I saw it. He left after he said what he said." Bayley looked at him. "So you can relax. He's gone. We both watched him drive away."

Seth sighed, leaning against the wall. He ran a hand through his hair. Bayley leaned against the wall beside him, her face a mask of sympathy. "Are you okay?" she asked. Seth looked up at her, into her eyes. He exhaled.

"No. I'm not okay. I'm really far from okay," he confessed.

Bayley's smile was tight, sad and sympathetic all at once. "What are you doing tonight?" she asked.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"You riding alone?"

"Yeah. Now that Roman's out, it's just me."

"I'll talk to Sasha and change plans. How about you and I go out after the show? You can get everything out that you need to," she told him.

"Are you sure Sasha won't be upset about it?"

"No. She'll understand. Everyone's worried about you," she told him. Seth nodded. He was surprised to find the hot stinging feeling of tears behind his eyes. Bayley reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "You need someone right now. I got your back, yo."

"Thanks, Bayley. Seriously."

* * *

**Elias was checking his cell phone, leaned against the trunk of his rental car when Jory's car pulled into the parking space beside him. **Pushing himself off the black surface, he slipped his phone into the pocket of his jeans as Jory climbed out of the driver's side.

When he'd told her that he knew a little place, she didn't expect him to lead her to a little bar on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, a small brown building hidden by trees and shrubs. It was lit with plain white garland lights. She could hear music. In front of the door was a sign leaned against the wall, "OPEN MIC NIGHT" written in chalk on the surface. He watched her study the place like she wanted to commit every detail of it to her memory.

"You kept up pretty good," he observed.

"How do you know this place?" she asked, locking her car with the FOB on her keychain. Elias grinned.

"I've been sneaking into this place since I got a driver's license," he confessed.

"How old were you when you got your license?"

"Sixteen."

"You rebel," she teased.

"It's probably the best open mic spot on the east coast. I don't throw that around lightly," he told her. She nodded. "Plus, they make the best cheeseburger you'll ever have." Jory shot him a look.

"You're talking crazy," she told him. Together they walked towards the entrance. Elias had to admit that it was nice to have a light conversation after the night he'd had. Through the windows, Jory could see it was decorated like a cabin, complete with warm lighting and wood-paneled walls. Elias reached past her and opened the door, holding it for her. She thanked him as she stepped inside, greeted by the smell of good food. On the stage, there was a woman with cotton candy hair playing an acoustic guitar and crooning into a microphone. Jory didn't recognize the song; she assumed it was an original work.

"Elias! Good to see you!"

Jory turned her head to see a man approach, his hand extended. He was a tall man, but not as tall as Elias, dressed in black slacks and a button-down burgundy shirt with the top two buttons undone. His dark hair was greying on the sides. Elias shook his hand, and the man turned his attention to Jory. "And I see you've brought a friend," he observed, grinning. Jory shook his hand.

"Rob, this is Jory. Jory, this is Rob. He owns the place."

"It's nice to meet you," she told him with a smile.

"Likewise." He looked at Elias. "I heard you were in town, but I wasn't sure if we were going to get to see you."

"When have I ever missed out on coming in when I'm home?" he asked.

"Are you gonna get up there tonight?" Rob asked. Elias shook his head.

"Not tonight. It was kind of a rough night on the job."

"Well, I'll let you get to it. It's good to see you. Jory, it's nice to meet you."

"Likewise." The owner separated from them, and she followed Elias to an empty table at the back of the bar. They sat down and within a few minutes, a waitress stopped by the table to hand them menus.

"Elias! It's good to see you!" She leaned down to hug him.

"Good to see you, too, Kate." She straightened her posture and looked over at Jory. "Who's this?"

"This is Jory. Jory, this is Kate. She's been working here as long as I've been coming here." Jory reached across the table to shake her hand and the women exchanged pleasantries. Jory ordered a glass of water with a lemon wedge, while Elias ordered "the usual". Jory couldn't help but be curious about what he usually ordered when he was in the place.

"Why here?" she asked.

"It was far enough away that my parents would never find out," Elias confessed. "My mom would have killed me if she knew I was sneaking into a bar."

"They never carded you?" she asked. Elias shook his head.

"I looked way older than I was. This beard came in _full_. Nobody believed someone my age could grow a beard like this. Plus, the size helped." He smirked. "I've spent a lot of time here, on that stage." He picked up the menu. "You got any hangouts like that in Chicago?"

"Not really. I've always been pretty boring. My dad and I used to do a lot of Cubs games at Wrigley Field. The games were kind of our thing for a while."

"I used to play baseball," he shared. "It was never a dream of going pro or anything, but I played for a while."

"I haven't played in forever," she said wistfully. There was something that lingered in her eyes that made Elias regret sharing the information, but it was gone as quickly as he'd seen it. She looked at the menu. "I think I'm sold on this taco burger. Guac, salsa, jalapenos..." She closed the menu. "I hope these burgers can back up the talk."

"They can," he told her. "They don't do those frozen patties that the other bars in the area do. They actually grind their own meats and do their own patties."

"They do not," she told him.

"They do. This isn't just the best open mic bar on the east coast; it's also one of the best burger joints."

"I'd ask what you're going to order, but I'm going to assume it's 'The Usual'." Elias laughed. After the night he'd had, being beaten down by Bobby and Drew, losing his impromptu handicap match, he had to admit that it felt good to laugh. Kate arrived with their drinks and Jory learned that Elias' "usual" drink was a tall glass of beer. After she took their order and left, they turned their attention to the trio of men performing on the stage. Jory recognized the song as "Plush" by the Stone Temple Pilots.

While she watched, Elias sipped his beer and subtly observed. Away from the insanity with Baron and Seth, he noticed that Jory was actually relaxed and that she seemed happy. Her smile was genuine, her eyes sparkling with joy at the live music and warm ambiance.

He realized that she'd needed this time-out just as much as he did.


	5. No Man's Land

**"_And all that really matters, to make her whole again, _**

**_Was broken outside, and never came in from the cold."_**

**_-Godhead, "Rotten"_**

* * *

**Chapter Four:**

**No Man's Land**

* * *

** Stephanie McMahon couldn't see it, but as she voiced her concerns to Baron Corbin, he stood alone in the General Manager's office and rolled his eyes. **The blizzard that blanketed the east coast over the past sixteen hours had effectively stranded Hunter and Stephanie at their home in Greenwich, Connecticut, once again allowing Baron to run the show his way without any oversight. Baron half-heartedly listened to her as his gaze swung around the office, eyes narrowing as he looked at the shadowbox of the month, a WWE Films poster featuring none other than Seth Rollins. Baron made a mental note to himself to grab someone to dispose of it and bring something new when the call came to an end. He would be damned if he was going to spend his night advertising something for Seth. Not on his watch.

Stephanie was worried. It felt like Baron was losing control of his roster, and she wanted solutions to his pressing issues. Did he have any good ideas? What were they? Stuck waiting for weather good enough to fly, Stephanie was becoming increasingly frustrated that Baron wasn't telling her any of the things she wanted to hear outside of "everything's fine".

The cold, hard reality that Baron would never openly admit to anyone – let alone _Stephanie McMahon _– was that Baron Corbin _had no answers. _He wasn't losing control; he'd already lost it. Baron was at war with Jory, who had somehow procured backup in Elias, of all people. Every time he turned around, someone was running up to him to let him know that Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins were trying to commit first degree murder on live television. He wasn't respected by a majority of his colleagues. Things were out of control, and it had happened so quickly that Baron didn't realize his footing had slipped. But he was willing to lose a limb and bleed to death before admitting anything of the sort to the McMahon family. He knew the moment that he told them he couldn't handle it, they'd bring Kurt Angle back into the fold, and he knew that after all of the things he'd done, Kurt Angle would be gunning for him. He had to do everything in his power to keep that from happening.

"Stephanie, everything is fine. I promise you…" Baron couldn't finish his sentence, his attention diverted to his door being thrown open violently. His eyes narrowed as Seth Rollins stormed inside, already in his ring gear with his brand-new T-shirt, his black hair already hanging around his face in limp, wet waves.

"_I need to talk to you_," he roared.

"Baron? Baron, who is that? Baron, is that Seth?" Stephanie asked rapidly. Baron inwardly groaned. Of course, Seth would be there to burn down the façade he'd been working to craft with Stephanie. It was almost like a divine comedy of sorts; no sooner had he started talking Stephanie down, here came Seth Rollins to make him look like an idiot. Seth reveled in making Baron look bad, and he knew that it was all jealousy. He was jealous of Baron's interest in Jory, was jealous of the power that Stephanie and Hunter had bestowed upon Baron. _Seth could have had that power, too, but he blew it, just like he blows everything else in his life_.

"One moment, Stephanie." Baron muted the call. "I'm busy, Rollins. Come back later."

Seth and Baron glowered at each other for a moment before Seth reached out and snatched Baron's phone from his hand. "Hey -!" Baron started, but Seth hit the end call button and threw the phone onto the leather sofa. Baron's expression was incredulous. "What the fuck, Rollins?"

"You aren't busy now. Now you're going to listen to me," Seth growled. Baron looked over at his phone. It started ringing, and he fought the urge to punch Seth square in the face.

"You just hung up on Stephanie McMahon," Baron told him.

"No. _You _did." Baron's eyes flickered as he realized that Seth was right; it was how Stephanie was going to perceive what happened.

"What do you want?" Baron snarled.

"I want Dean Ambrose at _Survivor Series_. Give him to me."

"Let me get this straight," Baron told him angrily, "You come in here and interrupt an important business call, where _you _hang up on _Stephanie McMahon _of all people, and then you just demand that I give you what you want? Are you high? Do I need to book a drug test for you?"

_"Give. Me. The. Match." _Seth spit the words out. Baron's angered expression became smug.

"I don't know who the hell you think you are or who you're talking to, Seth, but _I _make the matches around here. Not you. So, no. I'm _not _going to give you Dean Ambrose at _Survivor Series_. You can face him when I tell you to." The phone began ringing again, shattering Baron's last thread of patience. "_Now get the fuck out_."

Furious, Seth turned to leave, stopping at Baron's desk. He grabbed the enormous glass paperweight that was shaped like a skull. Turning, he threw it, hitting the shadowbox with his face in it. It shattered loudly. Before Baron answered the phone, he turned to the broken shadowbox and decided he'd had it with Seth Rollins for the evening.

"_Security! Get this idiot out of my arena!"_

Security guards swarmed almost immediately. Baron liked to keep them stationed at the door. Shaking his head, Baron watched them usher Seth towards the door. "Any damage is coming out of your paycheck, stupid," Baron called after him. The door closed, and Baron was startled by the phone ringing again. With a sigh, he answered.

"Sorry, Stephanie. As I was saying before…"

* * *

** One of the consequences of having Baron Corbin as an enemy was having to live her life once again looking over both shoulders while she was on the job. **

It was a feeling she hated, living her life waiting for the other shoe to drop. But she'd promised herself once she'd gotten untangled from the McMahon web that she would never dive back in there under any circumstances. Even if the fans hated her, even if she were a pariah, it was something she had to do. Looking in the mirror and liking what she saw was far more important than sucking up to the bosses who abused her friends; she was ashamed it took her so long to realize that, but she was thankful she learned that lesson.

_Back to life with your head on a swivel, Jory, and for what? Moral turpitude? Doing the right thing is always a bigger pain in the ass than doing the wrong thing. _

With a sigh, Jory tacked a smile on her face and approached the fans waiting behind the barricades in the parking lot, fans armed with cell phones for selfies and posters to sign. There was a sinking, ominous feeling that weighed heavy in the pit of her stomach, but she did her best to brush it off. She spent a solid ten minutes signing autographs, answering a few questions, and taking selfies with fans. People wanted to know about her and Elias; she told them he was just a helping hand that she appreciated immensely at that moment. Some catcalled about Seth, only to be met with arguments from other fans. Jory refused to acknowledge any of those comments.

She told the fans to enjoy the show and walked into the arena, dragging her bag behind her. Walking down the hall, she stopped when she saw Bayley talking to Sasha, both of them in business casual clothing. Turning quickly, Jory ducked into another corridor and walked briskly down that path.

There was a twinge of guilt at making herself scarce with one of her closest friends on the roster, but the truth was Jory was in no mood to answer any of Bayley's questions. She was tired of being asked about Seth Rollins. _She just doesn't understand, _Jory thought glumly. _I can't make her understand. I wish she understood that nobody wanted things to work out more than I did. _

As far as she was concerned, there was nothing left to say to Seth. She had nothing to apologize for – she'd done nothing wrong. Reconciling with Dean and Roman had turned her into a fourth wheel; the fact that he'd been so quick to believe the rumors about her and Baron was only icing on a perfectly fucked up cake. _He had to be the center of my world, but it couldn't go both ways_.

Jory sighed, and shook her head, shaking the negative thoughts out of her head. The WWE Twitter account had announced earlier in the morning that she would be facing Ember Moon later in the evening; the winner would get a spot on the _Raw _team for the women's elimination tag match at _Survivor Series_. Jory was looking forward to it; Ember was an outstanding athlete, an NXT standout with a devastating finisher in the Eclipse.

When the news had broke, Jory had retweeted the announcement and expressed her excitement. She knew it was going to be physical, but that was what she liked. The best woman was going to win, and she had every intention of being the one with her hand raised at the end of the night.

* * *

** Stuck in No Man's Land, Elias took a deep breath and found an empty space against the wall of the airport, beside a plug-in, and sat down. **Looking out the window, he watched the enormous white flakes fall. The blizzard outside showed no signs of slowing down. Outside it was white-out conditions; stepping outside momentarily to catch his breath, Elias couldn't see two feet in front of him. It reminded him of that horror movie he'd seen years before, with the haunted town cloaked in fog. He couldn't remember the name of it, but it had been weird.

He was far from home, far from work, and there was no way he was going anywhere with the weather. His connecting flight had been delayed; after six hours, it had been cancelled, and he'd been forced to deplane with everyone else. As the minutes passed, it was looking like he was going to be spending his night in the airport.

He'd called Mark to check in and give him an update about what was happening. Mark had let it slip that several people living on the east coast were grounded due to the weather, including Hunter and Stephanie, and to get there when he could, but to be safe. Hanging up the phone, he'd felt terrible; he was a professional, and he'd never missed a show before. Other people having travel issues did very little to ease his guilt.

His phone buzzed as he made himself comfortable on the ground. It was a Twitter notification from WWE. Opening the app, he saw the announcement that he was going to face Drew McIntyre in six days at _Survivor Series_. Elias sighed; he knew that Bobby Lashley would be lurking in the background; that was if Baron didn't pull a bait-and-switch at the last minute and make it a handicap match.

He missed Kurt Angle; at least Kurt would approach the talent, man-to-man, and tell them what he had planned. Baron Corbin was a coward. During his years on Earth, Elias had met a lot of men like Baron Corbin – sniveling sycophants who knew how to step on people to get what they wanted. They always knew the right thing to say to management, always knew how to make people look bad. Elias was disappointed that Baron was so good at being a manipulator, especially since it was at the expense of an all-time great like Kurt Angle.

Scrolling through his timeline, Elias saw WWE's announcement about Jory and Ember's match, complete with a picture of the two of them. Staring at Jory's smile, taking in her light green eyes, Elias huffed, frustrated. He wished he was at the arena, that he'd made it before the weather had gotten too bad to travel. With Baron not being afraid to put his hands on a female Superstar, and Baron's assistant looming on the horizon, he knew that Jory was a marked woman. He grunted; he hated this.

Coming up through the independent circuit on the east coast, Elias had been given advice from just about every grizzled veteran. He'd been told to focus on himself, to not get drawn into anyone else's drama, male or female. For the longest time, he'd heeded that warning and stuck to himself, and it had served him well, all the way to the WWE. Professional wrestling was a cutthroat industry; everyone was trying to carve out their spot and keep their spot. Trust no one, he'd been told; everyone had their own motives. He'd heard their words loud and clear as an impressionable young wrestler. Elias had decided to keep his head down and his mouth shut.

But some way, somehow, he'd ended up ensnared in the web of Jordana Moody. They were allies now, both of them with a common enemy in Baron Corbin's administration. Were they friends? It was a strange territory the two of them had found themselves in.

Elias supposed he could have stayed backstage while Baron and Jory's friendship had exploded. He could have stood beside Charly at the monitor and watched while Baron dropped Jory with the End of Days. Elias still wasn't sure why he'd cared enough to run down the ramp and make the save, but he had, and now they were intertwined in ways he didn't quite yet comprehend.

He'd never realized there was so much speculation and gossip around Jory until he'd entered the picture. Was he a rebound while she nursed her broken heart? Were they friends with benefits? Were they friends? Unlikely allies? People asked, but the truth was, Elias wasn't fully sure what they were. They weren't close enough to be friends, but they were a bit friendlier than just colleagues.

He'd heard rumbling that Seth Rollins wasn't happy about Elias and Jory's new partnership. People online were speculating wildly, and he had no doubt that Seth was buying into it the same way he'd bought into the rumors about Jory and Baron. Elias didn't care; he had nothing to hide. If Seth still cared so much about Jory and what she was doing, then he could have run out to save her, instead of allowing Elias to roll up his sleeves and make the save. Elias wasn't interested in playing White Knight, but he knew that Jory had been through a lot.

_Seth was never interested in being the White Knight; how often did he run to her rescue when they were together? _

The thought hit Elias out of nowhere, and since he had nothing better to do while he was stuck inside the airport, he thought about it. He remembered times when Jory had run out to console him and fight by his side, but he couldn't recall a moment where Seth had run to her rescue. When she was beaten down and injured, he was never there to make the save.

He had to stop and really think about it, because he'd paid little attention to them until their issues had become too big to ignore backstage. He'd heard all the rumors – that Seth was verbally and physically abusive, that people had seen him shove Jory around backstage in his fits of anger. He'd heard the rumors that Jory had slept with Baron to become Women's Champion, which was laughable to Elias because she'd yet to win the title again. She hadn't held a championship since her days in The Authority, when her hair had been blonde, and she'd been dead on the inside.

Had she slept with Baron Corbin? That part could be true, Elias wasn't sure. As far as he was concerned, that part was none of his business. As he scanned the tweets on his timeline, he tried to ignore the helpless feeling that came with the thoughts of Jory being in danger. But, try as he might, it was just a feeling he couldn't shake.

* * *

_**"One! Two! Three!"**_

Just like that, the match was over. The sound of the bell made Jory's ears ring. She stared up at the lights, dazed, as Ember's music blared through the speakers and Ember rolled off her. Standing, Ember turned her attention to the stage, where Alexa Bliss was standing, dressed in a glittering sheer Fashion Nova bodysuit with black slacks and a black blazer, her pink-tipped bleached blonde hair perfectly styled. Ember had to admit that Alexa definitely looked the part of Baron Corbin's administrative assistant.

Her hands on her hips, Ember scowled. She wasn't happy with her victory. As a competitor, she respected Jory and the career she'd had. She respected Jory's attempts to redeem herself after spending some time doing reprehensible things. They'd shook hands prior to the match. Ember had hoped for a competitive match with a clean victory, but she'd only received half of her wish; Alexa had seen to that.

In the home stretch, like clockwork, Alexa had arrived to throw a monkey wrench into Jory's plans, and it had proven effective. Ember had capitalized, hitting the Eclipse, pinning Jory for the three count, and taking her place on the _Raw_ women's team at _Survivor Series_. But it wasn't the way she'd wanted it. She felt robbed.

Ember left the ring, irritated. Alexa walked past her down the ramp with a subtle sway in her hips, her nose turned up in the air like a snob. Halfway up the ramp, Ember stopped, staring up at the video screen, her red eyes narrowing as she saw Alexa standing over Jory, kicking her while Jory lay on the canvas. Then, Alexa was straddling Jory, hitting her repeatedly in the head with a closed fist, her face contorted into a snarl.

With a sigh, and a shake of her head, Ember turned and made a beeline for the ring. The crowd cheered as she slid in under the bottom rope and grabbed Alexa by the hair. Alexa's blue eyes went wide. Ember let go of Alexa's hair, and Alexa dropped, rolling out of the ring quickly, her expression gone from arrogance to panic in a matter of seconds. Alexa held a hand to the back of her head, her eyes narrowing.

"How _dare _you?" Alexa shouted out at Ember. Arms out wide, Ember made her way to the ropes and motioned for Alexa to come back and finish what she'd started.

"Not so tough when it's a fair fight, are you?" Ember taunted. Alexa stormed up the ramp, stopping once to turn back and look at Ember, who was helping Jory to her feet. Alexa shook her head in disgust and announced that Ember had made a huge mistake before she disappeared through the black curtains.

Ember shook her head and turned her attention back to Jory. "You okay?"

"Physically, I'm good. I'm not ready to talk about my ego…" Jory trailed off with a sigh. Ember couldn't help but grin. Jory turned to Ember. "Thank you. You didn't have to come back and make the save, but I appreciate that you did."

"Please. It's time someone puts Alexa in her place," Ember told her. The two women got out of the ring.

"You don't have to tell me – she's been a thorn in my side since developmental," Jory confided. They stopped midway up the ramp, Ember turning Jory and raising her hand up for the crowd. The people in the audience cheered. After they dropped their arms, they turned and made their way towards the black curtain that would lead them to Gorilla. "Thanks again," Jory told her. "If you ever need anything, let me know, okay? A Moody always pays her debts."

Ember laughed, a loud, raucous sound that had people looking up from their headsets. "I'll keep that in mind," Ember told her. Together, they walked down the steps, into the backstage area. Heath Slater walked past them, dressed in a referee's shirt. Earlier in the evening, Jory had watched in disgust on a monitor as Baron had informed him that while Heath had kept his job over his friend Rhyno, Baron wasn't about to let him wrestle. Heath was now Baron's _favourite _referee, there to do whatever Baron wanted if Heath wanted to keep his job and support his family. Seeing no way out, Heath had quietly taken the position, but the shame and devastation in his eyes had been too much for Jory to bear. Her heart bled for him, and it only made her more secure in her decision to turn Baron's offer down. She knew that this was Baron's playground for now, but his business model would only be sustainable for so long; nobody was going to want to watch him run the place into the ground like his own personal playground.

"I feel so bad for him," Ember mused.

"Me, too. I just keep telling myself that one day, Baron's going to get what's coming to him." Jory shook her head. "I'm so stupid. I thought he was different, but he's despicable."

"Don't beat yourself up, Jory – you didn't see this coming."

"Not until Stephanie gave him power, anyway." Jory looked around the hallway. "This place seems to have a way of corrupting anyone who gets a shred of power. It wasn't too long ago that I was one of those people."

Ember didn't know what to say, so she just nodded sympathetically. She reached out and gave Jory a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "One of these days, you're going to have to let the past go," Ember told her. "This place is ever changing, and we change with it constantly. Sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad. But we do what we have to do to survive back here." Jory nodded, a tight smile on her face. "I've gotta go and find Alicia Fox. If you find you're beating yourself up later for what happened tonight, take solace in the fact that you don't have to deal with _Captain Fox._" Jory found herself smiling.

"I'll do that. It may not have ended the way either of us wanted, but thank you again for a great match," Jory told her. She held her hand out to be shaken, but Ember surprised her with a hug.

"Have a good night, Jory. Protect yourself – the princess isn't happy." Jory nodded. Ember pulled back and walked away. With a sigh, Jory went in the opposite direction, looking forward to a hot shower and comfortable clothing.

* * *

**Mike Mizanin didn't hear or sense Seth Rollins until it was too late. **

He hit the stage face-first; his ridiculous round sunglasses knocked off his face from the force of Seth's forearm hitting the back of his head. It felt like he'd been mowed down; there was a surprising amount of weight behind Seth. Mike rolled down the ramp, but Seth was on him, grabbing him by his jacket and raising him, throwing him into the barricade by the fans. Seth stormed down the ramp, leaving Mike dazed and wedged between the ramp and the crowd, wondering just what had happened.

Seth rounded the ring, stopping in the middle to pull up the apron and go underneath for a steel folding chair. He slid it into the ring and turned to the ring announcer, barking for her to hand him a microphone. He received one quickly, and he rolled under the bottom rope and into the ring, setting up the chair in the middle of the ring and sitting down. His music faded on the speakers and he waited for a moment before he spoke.

"You want to pull the 'authority' card with me, Baron? Do you think that's really the best course of action, given everything you know about me?" Seth bellowed angrily into the microphone. "It's been a while since I've had to take a show hostage, but you never forget how to do such a thing. So, congratulations, Baron – you've forced my hand. I'm taking this show hostage _until I get what I want!_

"Give me a match with Dean Ambrose at _Survivor Series _this Sunday. _I _am not leaving this ring until you do. Your move. You might want to make the right one." Seth threw the microphone down and crossed his arms and his ankles.

The crowd booed as Baron emerged through the curtain, no music. "Just who in the hell do you think you are, Rollins?" Baron shouted. "_I _am the acting _Raw _General Manager, not you. _I _make the matches around here, _not you_." Apoplectic, Baron paced back and forth on the stage. "I threw you out of here. How the hell did you even get back here?"

"You threw me out of here?" Seth drawled. "How often does that really work? Be real, here."

"You want a fight so bad, Seth? I'll give you a fight. I'll give you all the fight you can handle." Baron took a step to the side as bagpipes blared through the arena speakers. Seth nodded. For some reason, Baron was steadfast about Seth and Dean not having a match, and Seth couldn't help but wonder why. Was Dean part of Baron's administration now? That seemed unlikely; Dean wasn't a man who liked to be controlled. Seth dismissed the thought almost as soon as he'd had it. Being somebody's lackey wasn't Dean's MO; he was very much his own man.

Seth stood, and set up the chair as a weapon. He waited for Drew to emerge through the curtain.

And he waited.

But Drew didn't emerge.

Seth's eyes began scanning the area. Before he could register the shift in the canvas behind him, Seth was down, face-first on the canvas by a Claymore kick. The crowd jeered as Drew McIntyre stood over Seth's prone body. From his spot on the stage, Baron grinned.

"Don't cross me again," Baron threatened. He moved to leave. "Oh, since you want a match so bad, and since Drew's looking for a fight, how about you two have a match? It starts now. Good luck, Seth."

* * *

**Bayley found Jory licking her wounds in her usual hiding spot in the bowels of the arena, already showered and changed. **She sat on a trunk, knees crooked, dressed in a pair of black and white _Nightmare Before Christmas _leggings and her trusty Blackcraft hoodie that was starting to see better days. She had her headphones in her ears and her eyes on her trusty notebook, where Bayley knew she was either coming up with new moves, new ring gear, or new goals.

Sensing another presence in her sacred space, Jory looked up to see Bayley, and she felt herself groan inwardly. Bayley sensed the change in Jory's body language, and she put her hands up in surrender.

"I'm just here to check on you. I won't even mention his name," Bayley promised. After a moment, with a sigh, Jory swung her legs over the side of the trunk and shifted to make room for Bayley. Tightening her side ponytail, Bayley sat down on the trunk beside Jory. Later in the evening, Bayley was set to wrestle Natalya for her opportunity to earn a spot on the women's team at _Survivor Series_. While Bayley liked Ember Moon, she was a little disappointed that Alexa Bliss had cost Jory a spot on the team.

"Good luck tonight," Jory offered.

"Thanks." With all her makeup off and her hair pulled back, Bayley could see the exhaustion and depression imprinted in Jory's eyes. Up close, she could see that Jory was either struggling with sleep, or not sleeping at all. Bayley's lips pursed into a tight line and she looked out at the open area. "I'm sorry about your night. I was really hoping you were going to be on the team with me," Bayley confessed. Jory shrugged.

"It sucks, but it is what it is," she said with a sigh. "Thanks to Alexa Bliss, once again, for three seconds, Ember Moon was better than me. I'll get it next time."

Bayley nodded. It was a good outlook to have, but she knew Jory was disappointed. "What are you doing tonight?" she asked. Jory shrugged.

"Just gonna drive to the next town. Get a hot shower, and probably go to bed. That's about it."

They fell quiet once again. Jory looked down at the floor, her eyes fixated on a spot on the floor.

"I know you're traveling alone on this loop…would you want to travel with Sasha and I?" Bayley asked. "We wouldn't mind having you."

Jory thought about it. She knew Bayley was lying. Since NXT, Sasha Banks was very possessive of Bayley and her time, always keeping a firm grip on the lovable underdog. Jory wasn't about to say it out loud, because she didn't want to hurt Bayley's feelings, but she didn't want to find herself trapped in a car with Bayley and Sasha needling her about Seth, or about Elias, or about anything that had to do with her life outside of the ring.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm okay. It's been kind of nice traveling alone. It's been peaceful," Jory confessed. Bayley looked skeptical, but she knew better than to push the issue. Jory exhaled. "Don't look at me like that, Bayley. I promise you I'm fine."

"You look like you haven't slept in years."

"I'm sleeping just fine," Jory insisted. Bayley shook her head ands lid off the trunk.

"Well…the offer is still open if you change your mind," Bayley told her. "I hate to cut this short, but I need to go…"

"Go. Good luck out there. You can do this."

"Thanks." They bumped fists and Jory watched Bayley leave. Shifting, Jory brought her legs up on the trunk. She was startled by her phone vibrating in her pocket. She pulled it out and unlocked the screen. It was an Instagram DM. Bringing down the notification, she saw it was from Elias, of all people. She opened the phone and went to the message.

_I wanna go home. _

Jory's expression became sad. Word of the locker room's east coast travel woes had spread like wildfire earlier in the day, and Baron had been furious that his plans for Elias had to change because Elias was stuck at the airport. She knew it was a bad storm when it was announced that Hunter and Stephanie were stuck; no matter the elements, they were always there, so it told her just how bad the blizzard was.

She took a moment to make herself comfortable on the trunk before she messaged him back.

* * *

** Dean Ambrose paced back and forth like a man possessed, videotaped by a lone cameraman in an undisclosed location inside the arena. **He was dressed in a sleeveless hoodie that was unzipped, the strings on the hood swaying with his pacing. Dean ran a hand over his head, shaking his head like he was disagreeing with the bad thoughts he was stewing in. As if he were suddenly aware of the camera, he turned, his cold blue eyes staring into the lens. The cameraman stilled like he'd come across a bear in the woods; the new Dean Ambrose had put everyone on edge with his unbridled violence and unpredictability.

"You've always been a little on the slower side, Seth, but you still don't get it, do you, man? _Things have changed. _Things changed on June 2, 2014, when you picked up that steel chair, and you beat Roman and I down with it. You put us on this path, Seth. Once you did what you did, there was no turning back.

"For the past six years, Seth, the Shield has done more harm than good. Sure, everyone in the stands all around the world love The Shield, but nobody knows how we were when the cameras stopped rolling. The three of us…we've been rotten to the core from the very beginning. But you know what happened? Time caught up to us, and now we're all going to pay for our sins in different ways, Seth. We're all going to get what we deserve.

"I mean, look at Roman. For Roman's part, for the things he did in The Shield, he's probably going to pay with his career." He shook his head. "He's laid up somewhere, all braced up, thinking he's going to come back like nothing happened, but we know the truth, don't we, Seth? He's not going to be the same man, and sooner or later, someone will put him down because he is going to be a shell of who he was. You're not the same after breaking your neck. You know it, I know it, and Roman knows it.

"I'm not like you, Seth. You like to bog yourself down with all these distractions, like to pretend you care about all these people out here, but I know the real you, and you're despicable like me. I know a scumbag when I see it – I can spot my own kind. The only difference between you and I is that I don't let myself get distracted. I know what I want, when I want it, and I go for it, and one of these days I'll have to answer for all the rotten things I've done, but it won't be before you, Seth. Not until you answer to me.

"So, Baron won't let us fight at _Survivor Series_? Do you still wanna show up, Seth? You still wanna show up and try and get a match with me, Seth? I'd advise against it. But if you want to, I'd be more than happy to be the first man to _murder _someone _live _on the WWE Network. I know you're not into that kind of thing, so don't show up.

"But who am I kidding? You're _Seth Freaking Rollins. _You don't think with your head. You think with emotion. That's what separates me from you, Seth, and that's why if you show up at _Survivor Series_, I'll bet you until nobody recognizes you. You think the past couple weeks have been bad? Wait until the mics catch you choking on your blood. Wait until the kids are crying at ringside because I've ripped your face apart.

"Don't show up, Seth. Don't make me do what I have to do."

* * *

**With an exhausted sigh, Jory put her bag down and stood in front of the door to her hotel room. **Natalya walked by her, on her cell phone, making her way down the hall towards her room. The two women exchanged glances and nods before Natalya disappeared. Jory walked into her hotel room and closed the door quietly, locking the deadbolt behind her before she kicked her shoes off and ventured into the room, her bag in one hand and the hotel luggage rack in the other.

It was a simple overnight room, so simple that there wasn't even a fridge in the room. There was no place to store ice cream, even if she'd wanted it. When she'd booked the room, she'd asked for basic, and she'd received that in abundance. It was just a queen bed made up with crisp white linens, a beige armchair, and a TV perched on the dresser at the foot of the bed. The bathroom was a bit more spacious, but not by much. It was bright white, with a tub/shower combo and slim counter space, extra white towels folded up with two rolled up face cloths on top.

Placing her bag on the rack, Jory sat down on the bed and stared at the inanimate objects, Bayley's offer rolling around inside her head. She'd been pushing the offer out of her head all evening, but it wormed her way back into her brain at almost every turn. She knew that Sasha would throw a fit if she joined them, and she had no interest in being a third wheel.

Swinging her legs onto the bed, Jory lay back against the pillows and stared up at the ceiling, her hands on her abdomen. These were the moments she'd come to hate. The show was over, the lights were off, and everyone had gone back to their lives with their loves and their best friends, and she was alone with her solitude and the negative thoughts that came with everything that had happened since Sanity arrived on the main roster.

When the sun went down, and she was alone, Jory missed him. She hated him for the things he'd said on Lilian's podcast, for the way he'd play push and pull with her, but she missed him all the same, creating this inner conflict where her feelings were constantly at war with each other.

She jolted when the phone in her front pocket vibrated. With a sigh, Jory shifted and retrieved her phone. Opening it, she saw Elias had sent her another message. The last she'd heard from him was at the arena, when he'd mentioned that the weather had tapered off enough for him to get a rental car to make it to the next town, a five hour drive. She'd told him to be safe.

_Look in the mirror, even with a broken heart I'm fine. Living is so sweet now with Superman inside._

Since learning about her father's love of Eric Clapton and growing up with him playing the records all the time, he'd taken it upon himself to send her random lyrics, usually phrases he thought she needed to hear while she was reeling from the constant one-two punch of life.

It took Jory a moment to realize that her eyes had welled up with tears. She sniffled, wiping away her tears with her thumb. Shutting down her phone, she put it on the mattress beside her and lay there in the silence, wishing for the days when things had been simpler, when her days had been happier.


	6. Survivor Series

"_**People don't like when you put up a fight,**_

_**And slowly, ever so slowly, I am losing mine."**_

_**-****Icon for Hire, "Fight"**_

* * *

**Chapter Five:**

**Survivor Series**

* * *

**Every time his brotherhood with Roman and Dean exploded, Seth felt a new part of him die. **

Seth didn't know it at the time but being partnered with Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns had changed his life in nothing but the best possible ways. For years, Seth had been a standout name on the independent circuit, and he'd used that clout to call and harass WWE until they stopped ignoring him and offered him a deal. He'd stood in front of their door and kicked and kicked until it finally came down and he could walk through. When it had happened, he'd thought that his troubles were over, that he'd be living on easy street.

But it hadn't been roses.

He was younger and skinnier in those days, and his youth came with an immaturity that had afflicted previous talents like Randy Orton. Standing on his soapbox and screaming from the top of his lungs that he was an elite-tier talent had done nothing but rub management the wrong way. His reputation had soured quickly; nobody had to say it to his face, but he'd earned a reputation as a smug, arrogant, entitled prick with an ego the size of a galaxy. Steering his way through political waters that he'd never had to navigate before, Seth felt himself becoming sour at the experience. He'd done so much, had been a standout talent on the independent circuit, and he'd been forced to learn the hardest truth of all: once you walk through the doors of WWE, all of that ceases to exist.

So, while Triple H figured out how to rebrand NXT into the company's developmental brand – one that didn't feature "boot camp" contests and dance offs – Seth had gone back to the drawing board and attempted to reconfigure his attitude. He felt like his hard work had been validated when he'd become the first NXT Champion.

He didn't know Roman Reigns when he was told they would be partnering up. Roman was green as grass, trying out a hand in the family business of professional wrestling after his football career had come to an early end. It was clear to Seth that the company had high hopes for Roman, who was going to be built by WWE for WWE. He had no independent dates, had never slept in his car because he couldn't afford a hotel on the money a promoter was paying him. Through Roman, Seth realized that everyone's roads were different, but still as valuable. Thanks to his reputation, it took him a moment to click with Roman; in contrast, Dean and Roman had clicked right away, and it was obvious that their bond was the strongest of the three.

While it was never spoken, it was clear there was a level of competitive tension between the three men, but it was far more visible to the naked eye that the tension between Seth and Dean was bubbling just beneath the surface. Roman wanted to be one of the best, but he was so new to the business that he knew better than to make waves; instead, he kept his head down and he learned from Seth and Dean, two men who had done far more before WWE in professional wrestling than Roman had. Out of the three, it was always Seth and Dean who clashed.

Dean Ambrose was a strange character, the polar opposite to Seth in every conceivable way. Dean was blonde and blue-eyed to Seth's black hair and brown eyes. Seth was loud, always drawing attention to himself, while Dean was armed with a quiet charisma that drew everyone in. When Seth spoke, people rolled their eyes; when Dean spoke, people listened. He'd heard that Joey Mercury had come across some of Dean's old promos on YouTube, and WWE had handpicked him to join their ranks. It always rankled Seth; he'd had to force his way in.

The Shield had quickly reached heights Seth never imagined, but he'd brought all of it to an abrupt and screeching halt on that warm night in June 2014. He'd betrayed his brothers, had sold them out for a promise of being the face of the company, and while he didn't believe now that Roman would have done the same, he didn't put anything past Dean Ambrose. But that first chair shot to the back of Roman Reigns, he'd felt something wither and die; he always thought it was his soul.

Seth wasn't a firm believer in karma; he supposed it was why it was so easy for him to justify what he'd done until Hunter and Stephanie had thrown him aside for the likes of Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe. But it was going to be a cold day in hell before Seth subscribed to the notion that Dean Ambrose was some kind of karmic debt collector.

So, he paced, standing alone at the mouth of the arena, dressed in his Black & Brave T-shirt and black skinny jeans, his eyes scanning the wide open parking space for any sign of Dean Ambrose. His palms were sweaty; the crowbar he held in his hand warm from the body heat he was throwing. His eyes narrowed; as far as he could tell, Dean's threats had been nothing but empty, hollow talk. If Dean thought idle threats would be enough to keep Seth Rollins at bay, then Seth was willing to bet that Dean Ambrose didn't know him at all.

"So, Baron won't give me what I want – whatever. I'll just make my own opportunity," he murmured to himself. He hoped that Dean had the same thought, that he could finally finish this issue with Dean once and for all.

Seth didn't think a match with Dean was such an outlandish request to make to his General Manager – after all, Dean had been beating him mercilessly for weeks. All Seth wanted was a chance to fight back on an even playing field in a setting where both men could engage their basest instincts and see which one would be the last man standing. He wanted to inflict copious amounts of damage to Dean Ambrose, but he wanted a setting where he could do it legally. But since Baron was never in a gregarious mood when it came to Seth Rollins, he refused both men what they – and the fans – wanted. Seth supposed it wasn't a sound business decision to take matters into his own hands in the parking lot, but his issues with Dean were far beyond business – they were personal.

All through his weekend, while he did his laundry and repacked his bags, Seth had vowed to himself that he'd make Dean pay for speaking Roman's name. He'd make Dean scream and beg for mercy for insinuating that Roman's career-threatening injury was some kind of karmic retribution for the things they'd done in The Shield. He vowed he'd make Dean pay for every ounce of Seth's blood he'd spilled.

He supposed he shouldn't have been so surprised that Baron would deny his request. Baron was only good to his friends and the people who were willing to sell their souls to him. He awarded his friends everything they could ever want, from grudge matches to mainstream media opportunities. Baron _hated _Seth, and Seth was more than willing to put it on the record that the feeling was mutual. Baron had cost him his brotherhood. Baron had cost him Jory.

Jory.

She careened into his thoughts out of nowhere like a freight train off the rails. They'd been apart for over a month now, and she ignored him whenever they crossed paths in the trainer's room or in the halls. Since he'd gone on Lilian's podcast – he was willing now to call it a mistake, a throwback to the old Seth Rollins that everyone hated – he'd ceased to exist in her books. She didn't have to say it out loud, but he'd hurt her, and he knew he had because it was what he'd set out to do.

Some nights, when life was hard, he missed her. He missed her showing up to his hotel room with her little shopping bag of ice cream. For a while she'd been his biggest supporter. But he couldn't deny that in the end, being with her had become exhausting.

Had they outgrown each other? Seth was beginning to think so. He wasn't ready to admit that Jory's concerns about the foundation of their relationship had been spot-on, but he was willing to admit that they'd phased each other out. Since defeating Stephanie at _WrestleMania_, nobody could deny that Jory's momentum had nosedived. She could accuse him of throwing her out of his world for Seth and Dean, that he'd forgotten she existed, but Seth knew the real truth: she'd phased herself out because she couldn't keep up with what he was doing. She'd fallen out of step with him, and as their careers divulged, he couldn't prop her up any further. He supposed it made her resent him.

After her hurtful words backstage – words he was sure had come from knowing what he'd said on the podcast – Seth had tried to get back into the dating world. He'd been on a couple coffee dates that hadn't resulted in anything but a quick good time. He hated dates; everything always felt off. Jory was gone, but he still had needs. It's what he told himself while he listened to the beautiful brunettes across the table from him talk about their cats and careers.

If he lived to be a hundred years old, Seth would never forgive Baron Corbin for drilling holes into his happiness. Seth still didn't know Baron's motives behind it, if he wanted Jory for himself or if he just wanted to watch the world burn like his mentors Stephanie and Triple H, but his mission had succeeded. Her refusal of his job offer had been in line with her constant promises that she'd never again get involved with management, but her outright rejection of Baron Corbin's friendship had been a surprising development.

_"Hey, you bastard!"_

Seth had no time to turn. Distracted, he hadn't heard Dean until it was too late. Assuming his best tackle stance, Dean ran at Seth and caught him around the side, pushing him back. Surprised, the crowbar fell from Seth's hands, landing on the concrete with a loud, metallic clatter. Desperate to get the upper hand in their impromptu brawl, Seth planted his feet and began raining blows on Dean's back with his forearms. Dean shifted, picking up the crowbar and pulling himself back. He swung, and Seth had the good sense to duck, narrowly avoiding a violent shot to the head. He kicked Dean in the stomach, forcing him to drop the crowbar, and began hitting him repeatedly. Dean quickly regained his bearings and began striking back, landing shots on Seth's ribs that made him wince, but hardly caused him pain.

Suddenly, the doors burst open and a herd of referees were wedging their way between them, forcing the two men apart. Seth observed that Dean wasn't wearing any shoes, dressed only in blue jeans with gaping holes in the knees and a leather jacket. With a mischievous grin, Dean put both his hands up and took a couple steps back.

"What in the fuck is this?"

Both men turned to see a furious Baron Corbin storm out of the doors, the sleeves of his black button-down shirt rolled up to his elbows. His eyes narrowed at the sight of Seth and Dean before him. "Why the fuck am I not surprised to see it's the two of you involved here?"

"Give us our fucking match!" Dean shouted. Seth scowled; it was the first thing both of them had agreed on since Dean had turned his back on The Shield.

"We're going to keep doing this until you give us what we want!" Seth yelled.

"Fine? You two want to kill each other so fucking bad? You got it. Unsanctioned street fight later tonight, and if you two want to commit murder so badly, you two can sign a fucking waiver so I can wash my hands of all of this!" Baron yelled back at them.

"Consider it done." Dean turned his head and spit. He looked at Seth and grinned. "Never mind the ambulance, Corbin – get this bastard a hearse."

"You mother…" Seth lunged, but the referees held him back. Baron pointed at the door.

"Would you get the fuck out of here?" he shouted. Dean raised his hands and grinned.

"Okay, okay – don't get your panties in a bunch, Mr. GM, I'm going," Dean snorted. Keeping his hands raised, with referees following, Dean went inside the arena.

Baron glowered at Seth as the referees dispersed, disappearing into the arena, confident that Seth wasn't going to run after Dean and attack. Seth looked over at Baron, the expression on his face just as hostile. Rolling his eyes, Baron turned his back on Seth. "Once again, the little prince gets his way. Hope you're happy, Rollins."

With that, Baron disappeared inside the arena.

Furious, Seth picked up the crowbar and hurled it. He watched it sail through the parking lot, coming to a stop when it bounced off a production truck and hit the ground with a clatter.

* * *

**All the makeup in the world couldn't hide Jory's exhaustion, but overall she was happy when she walked into the arena for **_**Survivor Series**_**, dragging her suitcase behind her. **She was dressed for business, in black slacks and a black blazer over an emerald green gathered neck blouse. Her hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail that swung with every step. While she was disappointed that she wasn't going to be competing on the women's _Survivor Series _team, she couldn't wait to sit back and watch the shows and root for her brand. She was willing to live with the disappointment, because she was happy for Ember Moon to get an opportunity to shine.

"Hey! It's been a while."

Jory looked up to see Renee approach, dressed in a black romper with a rainbow sequined blazer. She wasn't wearing any shoes, but that wasn't an unusual sight backstage. Her hair was pulled back in a stubby ponytail, and she wasn't wearing a stitch of makeup. Judging from her un-glamorized appearance and the papers she held in her hands, Jory surmised that she was coming from a production meeting and was on her way to get her hair and makeup done before the show.

"I know!" Jory said with a laugh. "I get it, though – things get crazy back here." Renee stopped in front of Jory, who used her free arm to hug Renee quickly.

"At this point, there just isn't enough hours in a day," Renee joked. Jory nodded.

"How have you been doing?" Renee was smart enough to read between the lines. She nodded.

"Good. Good. Things are fine with me. It's everyone and everything else he seems to hate these days," she confessed. "I was on my way to get ready and I heard he's had another brawl in the parking lot with Dean and Seth, and now Baron's giving them an unsanctioned fight later in the night, so I'm just on my way to remind him he has a wife now, and getting himself killed for nine-ninety-nine is a terrible business decision."

"You might have to. At this rate, they're probably going to kill each other," Jory mused. They fell quiet for a moment. Renee cleared her throat, her hazel eyes looking down at her papers before flickering up to Jory.

"I know things have been super off the rails for you, and I'm really sorry I haven't been the friend you need at the moment…" Jory dismissed Renee's apology with a wave of her hand.

"Don't be. Please. I get it – you're stretched pretty thin, and things are kind of crazy…"

Jory trailed off at the change of expression on Renee's face. Turning, Jory smiled when she saw Ember approach. The two women bumped fists together. "Hey. Good luck out there tonight," Jory told her. Renee echoed Jory's sentiments. Ember, who was already in her ring gear, but just needed her makeup done, grinned.

"Thanks, guys. I'm so excited."

"How have you been?" Renee asked Jory. Like Renee, Jory could read between the lines.

"I'm fine." Renee nods.

"I'm sorry about everything with you and Seth," Renee told her honestly. "You were really good for him."

Ember shot a look at Jory, noting that the woman beside her looked like she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. Before Jory could try and eke out a response, Renee's eyes flickered. "There's my husband. Sorry to cut this short, but I've got to go." Jory nodded, and Ember moved so Renee could get between them. She rushed after her husband, calling out to him. With a sigh, Jory began to make her way down the hallway towards the women's locker room. Ember walked beside her.

"Are you tired of everyone offering their condolences yet?" Ember asked when Renee was out of earshot.

"I'm over _all of it_," Jory confessed honestly. They fell quiet for a moment. "Are you ready for tonight?"

"Born ready," Ember assured her. She took a step ahead and stopped in front of Jory, forcing her to stop. "Look, there's a reason I wanted to talk to you. Do you have a minute?"

"For sure." Jory released her hold on her suitcase. "What do you need?"

"I know that you've got an Alexa Bliss problem, and we both know that she's got our General Manager backing up whatever she wants to do," Ember started. Jory nodded. "You know better than anybody back here that there's strength in numbers, so I wanted to ask if you wanted to start traveling with me. That way, we can be each other's eyes and ears, instead of trying to do it alone."

"I don't know…" Jory trailed off.

"Jory, you know I'm right," Ember stated flatly. Jory nodded.

"Yeah, I do. But you really want to travel with me?"

"Of course! And, for the record, I'm not gonna spend our trips digging into your personal life."

"Sold."

* * *

**"I've been talking to Stephanie McMahon, and she agrees with me that these people deserve more, and as the **_**acting Raw **_**General Manager, that's what I'm here to do."**

Elias supposed he deserved this; after all, he had taken it upon himself to blast his boss with a guitar while his back had been turned. It was a cowardly move, for sure, but it had only helped his standing in the eyes of the fans. Elias was no idiot; he knew that if he'd hit anyone else, like John Cena or Seth Rollins, the fans would have turned on him. It was a universal fact that Baron Corbin was a pain in the ass with an ego that was expanding to critical mass, so any time someone put him in his place for any period of time was treated as some kind of hero.

Sitting alone in the middle of the ring, Fender guitar in his hands, Elias knew that Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre were about to come out and lay waste to him, the way that they had been doing for weeks. He knew aligning with Baron Corbin could put an end to all of it, he could bend the knee and ask for some kind of mercy, but that wasn't his style. He knew Baron's reign of terror wasn't going to last forever, so all he had to do was ride out the storm.

Jory had tried to warn him. Like Randy Orton and Seth Rollins before her, she'd allowed herself to be blinded by management paying attention to her and making promises. She'd given Baron all the benefit of the doubt, believed that he'd learned from the very painful and public lessons she'd had to learn, but he hadn't. Elias knew that Baron loved the power, but that power was only going to make the inevitable fall all the more spectacular.

"So, let me guess: my upcoming match with Drew McIntyre is now going to include Bobby Lashley," Elias surmised. He stood, moving to the edge of the ring to hand his guitar and the stool off to the men at ringside. Turning, Elias looked up at the video screen at the top of the stage, his eyes narrowing at the sight of Baron's smug, smirking, extremely punchable face.

"Wow. Look at the brains on you. Good luck. You're going to need it."

As Baron moved the microphone from his lips, the bagpipes screeched in Elias' ears, and Drew walked out with Bobby in tow. Elias sighed, knowing his night had gone from bad to worse. The numbers game was in their favor, and he knew that try as he might, there was a good chance that he was going to go down in defeat.

"If I'm going down, I'm going down swinging," Elias told himself, assuming his best fighting stance.

* * *

**"That son of a bitch. God, I am so, so sorry." **

From the other side of the separator, Seth Rollins' ears perked at the sound of Jory's voice. Battered, bruised, and suffering the humiliation of losing to Dean Ambrose, Jory was the _last _person he wanted to see. Seth remained silent, only offering grunts and nods as the trainer's asked him about the state of his knees and shoulders, checking to see if he had any injuries that would necessitate a visit to the hospital, and an extended time away from the ring. Luckily for Seth, Dean's attempts to put him on the shelf with Roman failed that night.

As he'd stood over Seth's defeated body, baseball bat high in the air, Seth could hear him shout to the hard camera, "This one's for you, Jory!" In his battered state, it had hardly registered, but now, as he came down from the adrenaline and the pain set in, Seth couldn't help but wonder if Jory had asked Dean to get a few shots in at her expense. Dean and Jory had never been close in any capacity, so his sudden dedication of victory to her had Seth second-guessing everything he ever knew.

Elias tilted his head momentarily at the sound of her voice, against the warning of the trainer standing over him. Jory was standing only a few feet away, her arms crossed over her chest, her face conveying nothing but concern and disgust. Elias lay his head back and chuckled. "You're a sight for sore eyes," he observed, his tone teasing. "You come to check up on me?"

"No, but only because I thought they'd have you cleaned up and shipped out by now," she answered. Jory walked further into the room. Elias asked the medic to give him a moment. The medic obliged, disappearing behind the separator to look in on Seth, who was quiet now, not wanting to miss a single detail of the conversation happening on the other side of the separator.

She looked down at Elias' face. "How many stitches did it take to close you up?" she asked gently. She reached out, her fingers gently ghosting over the corner of his eye, where the skin was turning a deep purple color.

"Four," he murmured. After the beating he'd received, her gentle touch was welcome.

"I'm so sorry."

"None of this is your fault."

"You don't deserve any of this."

"I did hit Baron with a guitar," he reminded her. He sighed. "How is Ember?"

"She's okay. She's insisting she's just banged up, so she met me halfway about the ice." Her smile became tight. "We're gonna start traveling together. She thinks it's the best plan of action right now with the way things are."

"I can't fault her logic," Elias told her. "Protect yourself."

"You do the same." They fell quiet for a moment. She looked over at a medic. "Could I get a bag of ice, please?" she asked.

"Right away, Miss Moody." While the medic rushed to grab a bag, Jory turned her attention to Elias.

"I know we haven't had much of a chance to talk since Pittsburgh, but did you have fun?" he asked. Behind the separator, Seth gritted his teeth.

"I did. It was wonderful."

"I know some other places…if you'd want to do it again sometime…"

"For sure. I'd love that." The medic returned with a bag, handing it to Jory, who thanked him. Jory looked down at Elias and offered him a smile that seemed so very sad. "I'm going to go get this to Ember. Take care of yourself. If you need anything…you've got my number."

"I do. Thank you, Jory."

She gave him a gentle pat on the arm, and then she was gone.

Elias sighed and stared up at the ceiling. He jolted at the sound of something metal hitting the floor.


	7. Stacking the Deck

"_You wanna know what Zeus said to Narcissus? You better watch yourself."_

_-_Marilyn Manson, "Deep Six"

* * *

**Chapter Six:**

**Stacking the Deck**

* * *

**Dressed in a grey tweed skirt with black leggings and a black turtleneck accessorized with a statement necklace, Jory was well prepared for the brisk California morning. **Her hair was pulled back from her face, styled in a braid with two loose strands that framed her face, her makeup neutral with the glaring exception of the dark burgundy lipstick she wore. Sitting in the black leather chair at the radio station, she held a cup of Starbucks coffee close to her chest as she rocked side to side in the chair. Across the table, morning radio host DJ Paul Weaver was introducing everyone to his weekday morning radio show.

While nobody in the room made the observation out loud, Jory was sure that everyone could feel the nervousness that radiated from her. Performing in front of eighty thousand people and cutting promos in front of a camera was a cinch; at this point in her career, it had become second nature. But she _hated _doing live interviews. If given the choice to sit for a radio or TV interview or chew glass, she'd go with the glass.

Sitting across from DJ Paul and his co-host, Lisa Ann Taylor, Jory couldn't shake off the little voice inside her head that reminded her that she'd say something cringe-worthy during the interview. With the microphone in front of her face and all eyes on her, Jory couldn't squash the feeling that she was in for an interrogation. Even if she gave the perfect answer to every question, Jory knew she'd say some kind of ad-lib that would be misconstrued, would cause more vitriol towards her, or would leave her feeling embarrassed for years. Promotional interviews always made her feel like she was walking a high-wire.

"This morning, we have WWE Superstar Jordana Moody with us," DJ Paul announced. Everyone in the room gave her a polite smattering of applause. Jory tacked a smile on her face and offered a quick wave to the room.

"Good morning," she greeted.

"Thanks for coming out and spending your morning with us."

"Thank you for having me. It's been _forever _since I've done a radio interview."

"Jordana is here to promote tonight's WWE show at the Staples Center. Limited tickets are still available," Lisa Ann advertised. "If people are on the fence about purchasing a ticket for the show, Jordana, now would be your chance to tell them why they should."

"Because WWE is a fun night for the whole family," Jory answered honestly. "Wrestling is wonderful because there really is something for everybody to enjoy."

"I won't lie to you, Jordana - I haven't followed wrestling since the eighties," DJ Paul confessed. Jory nodded; she'd heard that plenty of times over the years. "So, before the interview, I had to do some reading about you, and I ended up scouring your Wikipedia page, and it looks like you've had an incredible career so far - you bypassed NXT and went to the main roster, you're a former member of The Authority stable, you've been to _WrestleMania_, where you defeated Stephanie McMahon in a match, and you're a former Women's Champion. That's a lot to accomplish in a few years."

Before Jory could respond, he continued. "I also read that, up until recently, you were in a relationship with Seth Rollins, and that it's ended in a cloud of controversy due to some comments he made on a podcast recently, and that you're actually a hot topic in wrestling right now."

Jory groaned inwardly, but Lisa Ann jumped in. "I listened to the podcast on the way here this morning." Jory nodded, and sipped her coffee. For a moment, she thought she forgot how to swallow. She felt herself grow tense as Lisa Ann's eyes lit up. "I looked around before you got here, and it appears you haven't had a chance to comment on what he said."

_I've had plenty of chances, _Jory thought to herself. _Instagram, Twitter. I've _chosen _not to indulge his nonsense. _Jory nodded. "Do you have a response to anything he said on the podcast?"

"All of that's old news at this point. The wrestling industry moves really fast in that regard. What's news today is old news in a few hours," Jory said with a shrug. "Nobody wants to hear about any of that - I'm sure they'd much rather hear about what the WWE has to offer everyone tonight at the Staples Center." _There it is. There's the response I'm going to be kicking my own ass over for the next few months_, she thought to herself. It was such a stock corporate answer that she felt dirty saying it. She suddenly wanted the interview to end. She wanted to get back in the car and forget the whole thing.

"People want to hear both," Lisa Ann pressed, and Jory fought the sudden urge to reach across the table. There was a few moments of silence while Jory sipped her coffee. She smiled softly.

"I'm really sorry, but I've got nothing important to add to his narrative."

"I don't want to air all your dirty laundry..." Lisa Ann started.

_But you're going to anyway, _Jory thought bitterly. "But he alleged that you were having an affair with your supervisor, _Raw _General Manager Baron Corbin."

"That, I will comment on," Jory told her. "Once upon a time, Baron Corbin and I were friends, and that's all we were. Nothing more, nothing less. We were just friends, and as time went on, and as he..._started down his path_...as it happens in life, our friendship fell apart."

"Why did your friendship end?" Lisa Ann asked. Jory looked Lisa Ann in the eyes.

"He put his hands on me."

* * *

**Seth pursed his lips together and fought the urge to start screaming in his car. **

He'd made sure he was listening to the radio station Jory would be appearing on, quietly holding onto the hope that the hosts were wrestling fans and would _finally _get her to say something, _anything, _about their time together. He supposed that he shouldn't have been surprised that she'd sidestep their questions with corporate answers and full-blown dismissals, but he'd hoped that she would have batted something back at him and opened a dialogue. He'd hoped that she would have said something that would have betrayed her feelings about their time apart, given everyone a glimpse of whatever pain she felt, and give him a chance to reach out and talk.

Right away he'd noticed that she wouldn't even say his name, like she was doing her damnedest to create distance between them professionally. As far as he was concerned, at this point, she was acting childish, ghosting him, ignoring him, locking the door and throwing away the key and pretending their time together had never happened. At least _he _acknowledged her.

She'd commented on Baron, though.

Jory was still holding onto her insistence that she'd never been romantic with Baron, and while Seth wanted to believe it, he couldn't ignore the time they'd spent together, the whispers of his friends and colleagues, and her outright refusal to stop hanging out with him. He'd tried to tell Jory what kind of man Baron was, but she wasn't taking him seriously. But he knew men like Baron, had seen them throughout his whole career; men like Baron didn't do anything nice without getting something in return. It was a page out of The Authority's playbook, but he'd employed it on his own long ago.

But she'd insisted. She didn't turn her back on friendships. She wanted to give him a chance.

He had a hard time ignoring the push Baron had given her seemingly out of the blue. He wanted her to fill every open space in the women's division. He'd do things for Jory and look down at Seth. He'd make snide comments about Seth's manhood, would make snide comments about him being unable to satisfy a woman like Jory. But she refused to take his side. It was always Baron's. Seth always did something to provoke him.

They could both deny their flings, but Seth wasn't sure he would ever believe it. He thought of all the opportunities she had to be with him; when they quit rooming together, when Jory and Baron went and did the TV presentation together. He was pretty sure she'd gone to Baron's room after their breakup, like he'd told her to. Sometimes he thought about them together, but he had to push those thoughts away quickly; it only made him angrier than he already was about their situation.

* * *

**"What's up with you and Jordana, man?"**

It was early, a little _too _early for people to line up and pry into Elias' personal life. Dressed in blue jeans and a black T-shirt underneath a blue satin robe, he sat behind a table at the Sam Ash music store, signing posters and pictures for the hundreds of fans that had lined up around the block to see him before the show that evening. He was armed with a cup of tea and a black Sharpie marker.

Elias looked up, into the dull brown eyes of a fan with gigantic black glasses and shaggy light brown hair that fell over his ears. Elias signed a photograph and handed it off to him. "She's my colleague, and we're fighting a common enemy at the moment, brother." Elias stood and took a quick selfie with the fan before he moved along. The next person in line was a woman wearing his T-shirt, her blonde hair straight as a pin and parted down the middle. Behind her, a guy with shaved brown hair and a Bullet Club T-shirt snorted at his response to the fan.

"Has she _'Walked with Elias' _yet?" the guy asked, snickering. A few of the fans around him were laughing; giggling like a bunch of elementary school kids hearing a dirty joke. Elias took a selfie with the female quickly before he turned cold, angry eyes on the man.

"Hey. That woman is a professional. Show some respect," Elias chastised sternly. The fan's posture straightened immediately. Elias handed him a signed poster and shook his head. "Move along. Get out of here."

The fan stomped off, grumbling under his breath. Elias heard "asshole", but decided to let it slide. He turned his attention to the next fan, a child with her mother. The child was dressed just like him. It melted his heart. "You're her favorite," the woman told him. Elias waved to her, and the little girl's blue eyes grew wide. Elias signed a picture for her. The mother tried to get her daughter to speak, but she was too starstruck by the man in front of her. Elias came around the table for a picture with her, and shook her hand. Elias asked her questions about school and if she was going to the show - she was.

"I'll see you at _Raw _tonight," he told her. Elias waved goodbye to the child, who clutched the poster and waved back enthusiastically as her mother led her towards the door. He grinned when he heard her excitedly tell her mother that she talked to Elias. He sat down in his chair once again, and a teenage fan approached, dressed in a Seth Rollins T-shirt and skinny jeans, his brown hair falling in his face.

"I don't know what's going to happen tonight, but you and I both know her history. I'm just telling you...be careful." Elias nodded, thanked the fan for his concern and handed him his poster and took a selfie. As the line moved along further, he found himself warned about Jory by just about everybody he spoke to.

Elias would be the first to admit that their association was new, and that they were getting to know each other and figure things out. But he didn't argue; he knew that the picture the fans had of Jory was based on the things they'd seen on their television. He knew that their opinions of her were formed by the things they read on the internet. He knew her history; but as far as he was concerned, her sins were no bigger than any of the other wrestlers she shared a roster with, Seth Rollins included. The fact that people were still so gleefully raking her over the coals for the woman she was in 2014, turning a blind eye to the good she'd been trying to do since her public reckoning, left him with a bitter taste in his mouth.

Seth hadn't had to scratch and claw for a fraction of the forgiveness Jory had earned. The fans had forgiven him quickly. Elias also knew that the latest rocks fans threw at Jory's glass house had everything to do with the dirty laundry Seth had aired on Lilian's podcast. He watched the fallout quietly, offering no advice, but a shoulder if needed. Jory was doing everything in her power to be professional, to not bring her personal drama to work and let it get in the way of her job, but Seth wanted to pull her down into the gutter with him, it seemed. Elias admired her restraint, but he was frustrated for her. He hated reading about how she slept her way around the locker room for a way to the top, and Seth had helped plant those seeds. People around her, people she worked with who were supposed to be _professional_, bought into the narrative, even if there was no evidence to fit the story.

_Watch out. Be careful. Watch your back. She's treacherous. Don't trust her. _It was an endless stream of warnings. Towards the end of his scheduled time, he noticed the female fans were more vocal about her involvement with him. He'd become a broken record, assuring everyone that she was a good person, that she'd earned a second chance, that the things she did years ago didn't define the woman she was now, but everyone seemed skeptical. He could see it in their eyes, hear it in the tones they spoke. People wished him luck, and some made veiled comments about trusting the right people, especially since he was at war with Baron.

When he was finished, and whisked outside to his awaiting sedan, Elias could admit to himself, as much as he'd hated it, that the fans had gotten inside his head. But, like Jory during her trying times, he wasn't about to let anybody see it.

* * *

**"Hey - are you almost ready for the concert?"**

Seth turned his head in time to see Bayley fall in step beside him, dressed in black jeans and a black and white sweater under a leather jacket. Her dark brown hair was down, over her shoulder. They were at the gym, ready to sneak in a quick workout before they had to report to the arena and get ready for the show.

He offered her a grin. "Oh, you bet I am. It's going to kick so much fucking ass..."

"Totally," Bayley agreed with a laugh. "I can't wait. It feels like I haven't had a night out in _forever_."

"Same," Seth confessed. "With everything that's been going on lately, I think it's just the thing I need."

They fell quiet, coming to a stop by the door. Bayley leaned against the wall of the building and crossed her arms over her chest. Seth looked at her; she was studying him intently, making him feel thoroughly exposed and examined. His eyes narrowed slightly. "What?"

"I know you listened to her radio interview this morning. Are you okay?"

Seth sighed. "I'm fine. Just fine. I mean, she won't even say my fucking name now. It's like overnight I turned into Lord Voldemort or something." He shook his head, lips pursing together.

"Seth..."

"She's going to act like I don't exist. I've tried everything, but she won't talk to me. At _all_," he reiterated. Bayley studied him, and she chewed her lower lip thoughtfully while she mulled over what he was saying to her.

"You want her back."

"It doesn't matter what I want," Seth told her angrily. "She's already made her decision for the both of us. I don't get any kind of say in this. At _all," _he huffed. "I don't know what I want right now, but I know I don't want things to be like _this_."

Bayley's smile was sad and tight. She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "I didn't, either," she admitted. "It's not just affecting you. Since you two split, she's completely frozen me out, too. She won't talk about _anything _with me, and it sucks. I was, like, one of her first friends after everything she'd done, and she just...she cut me out. For no reason." Rubbing his shoulder with her thumb, she pulled back and tacked a smile on her face. "Enough about the negative, though. We've got a concert coming up in a couple weeks!" She pushed herself off the wall and clapped her hands together.

"I know, and it's going to rule," Seth told her. He held the door to the gym open, and Bayley walked inside. Seth looked out at the parking lot and sighed. Whenever he felt like things were spinning out of control, lately he found himself grateful that he had a friend like Bayley on standby.

* * *

**"He's not slick. I see what he's trying to do from twenty miles away, and it's not going to work."**

Jory sat down on the black and silver trunk beside Ember, who was furiously typing on her phone. The two women had arrived at the arena to find out that Baron had put them in a match against each other. Ember sent her message and looked over at Jory. Both women weren't dressed in their ring gear yet, their hair and makeup not done up for TV. "If Baron Corbin thinks putting us in a match together is going to drive a wedge between the two of us, then he is dumber than he looks," Ember stated boldly, shaking her head.

"I appreciate that," Jory told her honestly. She crossed her ankles and let her head rest back against the wall. Ember looked over at Jory and cocked an eyebrow.

"Long day?" Ember asked.

"Long day," Jory confirmed. "It turns out that radio DJs think they're investigative journalists."

"Yikes. I'm sorry to hear that." Jory was thankful she didn't have to explain any further. Ember had a good idea how the interview went, and what they had wanted to talk about. Ember's phone pinged. Jory looked over at her, the exhaustion evident in her eyes.

"Who are you texting with?"

"Woods. He wants to roll out some _Dungeons and Dragons _on his channel." She sent him a message back. "Since you're the hot topic in wrestling right now, and because he enjoyed it last time, he wants you back on _Superstar Save Point_, if you're interested. He promises he won't be invasive. It'll just be like last time."

"I can go for that. It was a lot of fun last time. Does he have any idea when he wants to do it?"

"Probably at the _Royal Rumble_, when everyone's together under one roof." Ember cocked her head. "So...you're in?"

"I'm in." Ember sent the reply. Jory sighed. "So...what's the over/under on Alexa Bliss ruining our match tonight?"

"That's hard to say. If she's smart, she'll stay hiding in Baron's office like a good little assistant," Ember snorted. Jory shook her head.

"You wish. Keep your head on a swivel tonight. There's probably some serious fuckery afoot." Jory slid off the trunk. "I'm going to go and get ready. I'll see you later. Good luck out there tonight."

"You, too. May the best woman win," Ember told her. The two women bumped fists and exchanged grins before Jory disappeared down the hallway.

* * *

**She felt the forearm hit her hard in the back of her head before she had time to register anything else. **

Jory supposed she'd had it coming. Dressed in her ring gear, with perfect makeup and hair, she'd been too focused on what she was going to do out in the ring against Ember to think about anything else. Alexa put her full weight into the shot, forcing Jory to stumble and fall to the ground, face-first. Jory barely had time to get her hands out to brace her fall. She hit the concrete, hard, hands smacking off the surface with a high-pitched cracking noise. Jory released a loud "_oof_" as she felt the wind get knocked out of her. The palms of her hands stung from the force of her collision with the ground, but there was no time to think about it; Alexa had straddled Jory's back and grabbed her by the back of the hair, slamming her face into the concrete.

Then, there was a surprised shriek, and Jory felt the weight on her back ease up. "Oh, no, you don't you little witch..."

Rolling onto her back, hand over her nose and mouth, Jory watched as Ember brawled with Alexa, one hand in the blonde's hair, the other hitting her repeatedly with closed fists. Alexa was hitting back and screaming for security. Jory scrambled to her feet. Ember's grip loosened on Alexa's hair, and Alexa ducked underneath a swing, scampering off down the hallway like a wounded animal. Jory took her place beside Ember, her red eyes narrowed.

"You better run!" Ember shouted after her. "Try that again, and see what happens!"

"This isn't over!" Alexa shouted down the hallway, one hand on her jaw, the other in her hair. Ember took one step towards Alexa, and her blue eyes went wide. She turned and half-stumbled, half-ran down the hallway, out of their view.

There was a moment of silence between the two of them. Jory rubbed her hands together, hoping to stop the sting. "Thank you."

"You would have done the same for me," Ember reminded her. Jory nodded.

"I know, but just...thanks for being the best second set of eyes a misfit like me could ask for," Jory told her. Ember looked over at her. Slow smiles crept onto their faces. Ember's eyes narrowed.

"Do we need to call off the match? How bad did she hurt you before I got here?"

"I'm fine," Jory insisted. "You got here before she could do any real damage."

"Good." Ember draped her arms around Jory's shoulders. "Let's do this then, shall we?"

* * *

**"I've had it!"**

Baron looked up from his desk when the door to his office swung open violently. Alexa stormed in, on wobbly legs, dressed in black slacks and a blazer, with a glittering Fashion Nova bodysuit underneath. Her ponytail was mussed. Her right hand was on her jaw, trying to rub the pain off of her skin. He got out of his desk the second her words hit his ears, approaching her quickly. "Alexa, calm down..."

_"Don't tell me to calm down, Baron_!" she shouted, throwing her hands up in exasperation. Baron crossed his arms over his chest. He noted that her jaw looked red and tender, like someone had taken a good shot at her face.

"Alexa, I need you to calm down and tell me what happened."

She huffed. "I'll tell you what happened - this place is run by _lunatics_!" she bellowed. "It's unsafe. Everyone just attacks everyone back here, and it's unacceptable, Baron. I can't do my job without people attacking me left and right!"

"Who attacked you?" Baron asked. Alexa's eyes narrowed.

"Who do you think?"

Baron exhaled. "I'm sorry, Alexa."

"_Fuck your sorry_," Alexa blurted angrily. Baron's eyes narrowed. "You're my boss. I'm _trying _to do my job, and it's becoming dangerous for me. So I want to know what you're going to do about this, Baron. You need to make this right."

"What do you want me to do? Would you like a bodyguard?"

The question seemed to echo in Alexa's ears, and to Baron's relief, it had the effect of shutting down her tantrum. "That's an option?" she asked.

"Anything's an option if you ask for it," he told her, rounding his desk and sitting down in his chair. They were quiet for a few moments. Alexa observed that Baron seemed to be lost in thought. Alexa sat down in the chair across from him, her anger dulling by the second.

"So...can I?"

"What?" he asked.

"Can I have a bodyguard?" Alexa pressed, exasperated.

"Of course you can. I have just the candidate in mind, too," Baron told her. Alexa grinned; she liked that answer.

"Who? Nia? Shayna Baszler? Natalya?"

"Think outside the box, Alexa." Her grin morphed into a full-blown beaming smile. Baron put his feet up on his desk. "I'll have to make a couple phone calls and make sure that I can pull this off, but I think I have just the woman in mind."

* * *

**"Here comes trouble - ten o'clock."**

"No...I don't need any more trouble..." Jory grumbled, her words dying on her lips as she turned, her eyes falling on Elias walking towards them, dragging his suitcase behind him. His guitar bag was slung over his shoulder. His hair was wet, hanging around his face in waves. As he closed the distance between them, Jory could smell the shower products he used. It was a subtle smell, not overpowering like some of the men she worked with.

"Hey," Jory greeted, tacking a smile on her face. Elias smiled back at her.

"Hey. Are you okay? I heard about what happened earlier with Alexa Bliss..."

"I'm fine," she assured him. "Like always, she couldn't get the job done." Jory bumped hips with Ember. "It turns out, I've got the best set of eyes watching out for me in the division. I couldn't be more thankful for her tonight."

"Hey, Ember," Elias greeted.

"Hey."

"What are you up to tonight?" Jory asked.

"The usual - I'm going to an open mic place down the road, gonna have a beer, eat, maybe play a little something for my adoring fans, and then I'm heading back to the hotel and doing the biggest face-plant onto the bed." Jory smiled.

"Sounds like a hell of a plan."

"What about you two? What are you up to?"

"Just headed to the next town and crashing," Jory replied.

"If you guys have an hour or so to spare, you should join me," Elias offered. Ember was surprised by the invitation; Elias had the reputation of being a loner; his friendship with Jory had come out of left field to a lot of people. Ember wordlessly observed him, noting how comfortable and open he seemed to be with Jory, and she realized it went far beyond just being strange bedfellow partners; there was actually something there.

Jory turned to Ember. "What do you say? You want to stop and eat before we head to the next town?"

"You had me at food," Ember told her with a grin. Elias smiled.

"Great."

"We'll follow you. Which one's your car?" Jory asked. Elias pointed out a black sedan across the parking lot. They separated, Jory and Ember loading their bags into the hatchback before getting inside the car. Jory buckled her seat-belt and turned the key in the ignition, flooding the car with Hollywood Undead. The silence between her and Ember felt thick.

"So...you and Elias..." Ember began. Jory groaned.

"Not you, too. Please don't start."

"I'm not inferring anything. I'm just curious how the two of you became friends. The guy talks to nobody."

"I don't know _how _we became friends. It just kind of...happened," Jory answered honestly. She watched Elias get into his vehicle. "If you're asking me if I expected him to come out and save me when things went south with Baron, I didn't. He was honestly the _last _person I was expecting. I still don't know why he did it, or what he wants out of all of this, but it's been nice getting to know him. It turns out he's a lot of fun." Elias pulled his car out of the parking stall, and she followed behind him. "He's also one of the few people _not _pestering me about Seth, so he's at instant BFF status at the moment."

* * *

**Taking a sip from her glass of Chardonnay, Jory watched Elias walk up to the small stage at the front of the room, armed with his black and yellow Fender guitar. **She placed the glass down on the tabletop and dug into her purse to retrieve her cell phone, bringing up her camera and switching it over to the video settings. Across the table, Ember watched Jory, sipping on her lemon water, doing her best to keep the smile off her face.

They'd ended up at a little bar, dimly lit and smelling of wood polish and booze, where the tables were picnic benches and the staff was tattooed. Out front, the sign boasted it was the best barbecue joint in town, and Ember was putting their advertising to the test by trying their barbecue ribs. Jory was working on a burger that was to die for, with garlic and Parmesan seasoned French fries on the side.

Elias made himself comfortable on the stool and adjusted the guitar on his lap. Looking around, Ember noticed that other people had pulled out their phones as well.

"Hello, I am Elias," he greeted. A few patrons, obviously wrestling fans, voiced their joy at having him onstage in front of them. He strummed his guitar.

From where he sat, his eyes scanned the environment. He'd never been at this place before, but he'd looked it up at the arena and it had good reviews. He looked over at his table and saw Jory with her phone out. He smirked before turning his attention back to his guitar, where he strummed a bit of "Layla". He thought back to the last time he'd played it, when Jory had begged him to keep playing. Normally, he would have said no; he liked his private playing time far too much to let someone in on it. But he'd said yes. She'd begged him. He scored breakfast out of the deal, and she'd kept her word of being silent while he played it. The song had always been on his playlist, on heavy rotation, but now he thought of Jory whenever he heard it.

After playing a few riffs, he went into something original. Ember watched Jory, who looked so proud in her seat to watch him play such a small venue, in front of a handful of people who actually seemed to appreciate it. There were no interruptions, nobody to send him backstage or throw things at him, no surprise attacks. It was just Elias and his guitar, and Jory got to see him performing in all his glory in public.

When he was finished, there was applause. He thanked them and got off the stool and made his way back to the table. Jory shifted so he could get through. He sat down beside her. He watched her; Jory's eyes were glued to her phone. "Got any good pictures?" he asked.

"A few. And some video. I was thinking about posting them."

"If you do, tag me. I'd love to see them."

Ember blinked. Jory smiled.

"I will. Here. You can see a couple of them now."

Ember watched as he got in close beside her, looking over the pictures, the two of them critiquing her work with a photographer's eye. Chewing her lower lip thoughtfully for a moment, Ember returned to her food. She knew better than to say anything.


	8. Heavy Weather Ahead

**"_Is this the way you get to hell in a hand-basket?"_**

_**Stitched Up Heart, "Is This the Way You Get to Hell?"**_

* * *

**Chapter Seven:**

**Heavy Weather Ahead**

* * *

**Alexa walked into Baron's office with a bounce in her step. **There was a part of her that was not surprised to find him looking over papers at his desk. The empty locker room he called his office was far more lush than ones he'd had previously, with walls the color of Merlot. The standard leather furniture and classy wood desk were set up, along with WWE promotional shadowboxes hanging on the walls. Per Baron's request, nothing featuring Seth Rollins hung on the walls; instead, it was a Christian direct-to-DVD movie poster featuring Shawn Michaels.

Baron looked up at Alexa, taking in her appearance for the evening. She was dressed in a pastel pink latex bodysuit with black slacks, the leg-holes of her bodysuit cut so high her hipbones were exposed. Her hair was perfectly styled around her face, blonde and pink bouncing with every step. She smiled at him, her blue eyes almost non-existent, thanks to the dark, dramatic eye-shadow, eyeliner, and fake eyelashes. In her hand she held a cup of Starbucks coffee; the barista wrote the name "LEXI" on the side, dotting the i with a heart.

"Hey. It's your favorite assistant, reporting for duty," she greeted cheerfully, sitting down heavily in the chair across from him. She crossed her left leg over her right and let her back lean against the rest. "So...what's on our docket for tonight?"

"You and I are going to headline the show as a team tonight."

Alexa took a sip of her coffee and nodded. "Okay. Okay. I like where this is going. Let me guess - we're going to humiliate Jory and Elias tonight?"

"That's the game plan," Baron confirmed.

"Here's hoping we can get both of them out of our hair tonight before they become a huge problem down the line," Alexa said with a sigh. Baron nodded in agreement. "I know we haven't had a chance to talk about things, but Baron...why was I your second choice?"

"Because I was an idiot," Baron told her bluntly. "Luckily, I was able to correct course."

Alexa was borderline satisfied with the answer, but not entirely. For her career, she'd always had the feeling that she was everyone's second choice. It was something that perturbed her immensely, but there wasn't a whole lot she could do for it. Jory had been the golden child, fast-tracked through developmental and given prime television time when she'd become the Princess of the Authority. It wasn't until she was thrown out for being an abject failure that they'd even begun doing something with Alexa, a certified gymnast and bodybuilder. Initially, she'd shaken off the ignorance - she was new to the business, and hadn't yet proved herself to anyone. She was used to people writing her off; it only motivated her to work harder.

But she hated Jory, and she knew it was no secret that the feeling was mutual with Jory. Alexa couldn't articulate what exactly it was that made her loathe the woman so much, but she hated Jordana Moody and everything she stood for. She was sure Jory would say the same thing about her.

While Alexa appreciated his words, and wanted to take them at face value, she knew the truth - he'd hired her to spite Jory. There had always been animosity and hostility between the two women, and it was an open secret among the locker room. Alexa knew when Jory turned him down that he'd come to her for the position, and she knew she'd take it, both to further her career and to stick it to Jory.

Leaning forward, Alexa's gaze went to the paper he was looking at. "So...what are you working on?"

"This?" he asked. She nodded. "It's the last of the red tape I need to cut through to get your bodyguard over here. I had to broker a few deals and call in a few favors, but she should be making her grand debut next week, if everything goes according to plan." Baron knocked on the wooden surface.

"Can I see?" she asked. With a nod, Baron slid the paperwork over to her. Alexa picked up the stack, blue eyes scanning every word carefully. Her glossy pink lips pulled into a devious smile.

"Is this good?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. Oh, I like this. I like this _a lot._"

* * *

**"Hey." **

At the sound of her voice, Seth pulled himself out of his stretching position and turned in time to see Bayley approaching, dressed in white and gold gear, her dark brown hair already pulled into her trademark side ponytail. Seth smiled and slapped hands with her, going into a quick hug. "Hey. You look like you're ready for a match tonight," he observed.

"I am," Bayley told him. Seth had seen on the match card that she was teaming with Sasha Banks to take on two local competitors. For the past few months, Sasha and Bayley had been doing everything in their power to pitch ideas and try to drum up interest in the Women's tag team titles. "I'm hoping the more matches we have, the more serious everyone's going to see we are about this, and they'll finally listen to us and give us tag titles."

"If there's two women that I think are up to the task, it's the two of you," Seth told her. Bayley smiled.

"Thanks. I'm glad I ran into you. I wanted to wish you good luck tonight. All you've got to do is get through Dean, and you've got Finn. No pressure or anything, but if there's anyone _I _think is up to this task, it's definitely got to be you." Seth huffed.

"Thanks. To be honest with you, after I lost to Dean at _Survivor Series_, I really thought that I was knocked out of the running. I have no idea at _all _how I managed to weasel my way back into this, but I'm so grateful I did."

Bayley nodded. "You've got this. Dean's not going to know what hit him." Seth nodded. They fell quiet for a moment. Bayley looked him over. "What?"

"I've just been thinking a lot lately about the things he said after _Survivor Series_." Bayley nodded. Since he'd dedicated his victory to Jory, reaction backstage had been split. Some wondered if there was some kind of alliance between Dean and Jory, while others thought Dean was playing mind-games. Thousands of words had been written about it online and on social media. Seth had read all of it compulsively, unsure of what he believed.

"You don't really believe they'd be working together, do you?" Bayley asked with a sigh, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't know what I believe. I guess if things had ended better, I wouldn't be entertaining this as anything more than mind games, but...come on, you've seen the way she is when it comes to me. Never mind breaking up with her, I may as well have run over her favorite thing ever. She hates my guts, and when people hate like that, they're willing to do anything."

Bayley nodded. He had a point. "Someone said they saw her with him before _Survivor Series_, and they think she asked him to get a few licks in for her."

She blinked. She'd never heard that one before. "Someone saw the two of them together?"

"Yeah. I mean, why else would she talk to him? She's never been friends with him, so she's got no reason to talk to him unless it has to do with fucking up my life." He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I need to talk about something else. I need to focus on the match tonight. I get too angry, I'm gonna blow it, and I don't think I can weasel my way into a third chance." Bayley nodded.

"I wanted to tell you that I got a hotel room in Chicago, so if you don't want to make the drive after the show, you could always room with me."

"Great. Awesome." There was another pause between them. Seth ran a hand through his wet hair. "Look, Bayley, I know I haven't really said it enough for the past while, but thank you. For everything you've done for me. For being there for me through everything that's been happening. I appreciate everything you've done for me more than you ever know."

"I know," she told him cheerfully. She gave him a playful tap on the arm. "But thank you. Good luck out there tonight."

"You, too. Make them get those titles." With a nod, she walked away. He watched her leave, a smile pulling at his mouth. He shook his head and turned his attention back to stretching out and getting limber before the match. He needed to get back into the zone. He didn't want to beat Dean Ambrose; he _needed _to.

* * *

**"Who are you texting with?"**

Jory turned her head as Ember slipped into the makeup chair beside her. In the process of getting her hair styled, the makeup lady had decided on shades of black and teal with a nude glossy lip. Her lips pulled into a thin line. "My dad. I'm just telling him about the USA mandate this year."

Ember nodded. "How did he take it?"

"He's used to this kind of thing by now, but it sucks," Jory confessed. Vince had requested everyone arrive at the arena early for a staff meeting, where he'd dropped the bombshell: the USA Network wanted to air _Monday Night Raw _live on Christmas night. It had soured the atmosphere backstage; not everyone was going to be able to bring their families on the road with them. "He doesn't have to say it, but I know he's disappointed."

"Matt's wife is _losing _it on Twitter," Ember replied. She closed her eyes and allowed the makeup lady to apply primer to her face.

"I can understand that - there's kids involved there." Jory sighed. "But it's not the first holiday we've missed, and it's not going to be the last. Besides, my dad has Tabitha, so he's not completely alone..."

"Doesn't your sister ever have him out or come out to visit?" Ember asked. Jory shook her head. "That sucks."

"It is what it is. She can never get away from her job." There was a moment of silence between them. "I'm okay with this. I mean, it beats me sitting around depressed at home. I'd rather just...keep busy. I'm not really in the spirit this year anyway, so it saves me having to act like I am."

Ember felt a pang of sympathy in her chest for Jory. She didn't have to say it out loud, but Ember could see that Jory was still struggling to adjust to life without Seth. Neither of them realized how much she'd come to rely on him for the most basic things. Jory looked down at her hands, at the black fingernails, her ring finger decorated with black gemstones.

"Did you get a chance to look at the match card tonight?" Ember asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Yeah. I've been looking everywhere for Elias to go over strategy with him, but I can't find him in any of his usual hideouts." Jory looked up, her eyes falling on her reflection in the mirror. "I'm a little worried Baron and his buddies found him, and he's off wounded somewhere."

"I doubt that," Ember assured her. "I haven't heard anything back here or on Twitter. Elias is a smart man, and he probably knows that he's got a target on his back tonight. He probably just found a new place to chill out for the evening. He'll probably hit you up at some point, and you'll be able to meet up with him and go over some strategy."

"I hope you're right," Jory said with a sigh. "I really, really hope you're right."

With her hair and makeup finished, Jory slipped out of her chair. She turned to Ember. "I'm going to do another scope around the building for him. If you somehow manage to see him before I do, can you please tell him that I'm looking for him?"

"You know I will, Jory."

"Thanks, Ember - you're the best." They bumped fists and Jory left the area, scanning her surroundings as if Alexa Bliss were lurking in the wings to take her out. Ember watched her leave by the mirror, her face becoming sad as Jory disappeared from her view. Lindy Sue shook her head and made a sound that resembled a click of her tongue.

"All that girl needs is some peace," Lindy mused sadly as she began applying foundation to Ember's cheeks. Ember's lips pursed, her eyes sad.

"I couldn't agree more."

* * *

**Bayley took a deep breath as Jory walked past her, obviously distracted and oblivious to Bayley's presence in the hallway. **She knew that later on in the evening, Jory was going to be teaming with Elias, her former partner in the first-ever Mixed Match Challenge, to take on the team of Alexa Bliss and Baron Corbin. Bayley knew that Jory had a lot on her plate, fighting a two-front war while dealing with the fallout of her breakup with Seth. As much as Bayley wanted to back off and give her space, there were questions she had, things that had been bothering her since _Survivor Series_, and she wanted some answers.

"Jory! Hey, Jory! Hold up! Can we talk for a moment?"

Jory turned, stopping to allow Bayley to catch up. Bayley greeted Jory with nothing more than a sad smile; internally, she lamented the way things were between them. Once upon a time, they'd greet each other with hugs and fist bumps, like normal friends. Now there was some kind of tension hanging in the air between them, and she didn't like it. The warmth in Jory's eyes seemed to disappear when she was around. In the aftermath of things exploding with Seth, she noticed Jory had become far more defensive and adversarial. She was angry.

"Yeah. What's up?" Jory leaned against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I know things have been kind of crazy, but I've been doing a lot of thinking about things since _Survivor Series_..." Jory cocked an eyebrow.

"I didn't compete at _Survivor Series_. Ember beat me for the spot," Jory reminded her.

"You know what I'm talking about, Jory," Bayley told her firmly. "Dean Ambrose dedicated his victory to you."

"Oh. _That_. That was weird, wasn't it?" Jory asked. She looked at the expression on Bayley's face, and the anxiety and worry she felt for Elias morphed into anger at her friend. "Let me guess - there's rumors going around that I went and visited Dean Ambrose personally and asked him to get a few licks in on my behalf, and you want to ask me if it's true, because _he _believes it, which means _you _believe it."

Bayley blinked. She hadn't expected Jory to be so blunt. "There's no need to be defensive. I'm just asking..."

"Bayley. It's an open secret around here that Dean makes me uncomfortable, so why would I seek him out to talk to him about _anything_? Dean and I couldn't be more opposite. If you're hearing rumors about Dean and I, then someone is feeding you bullshit, because I haven't spoken to him since I was with Seth. I'll even go further - I haven't spoken to Renee at length since she became a commentator, so I didn't go to her and ask her to do my dirty work for me."

Jory was trying as best she could, but she was sure that she was failing to hide just how hurt she was that Bayley would think this lowly of her. She was angry; once again, her past had reared its ugly head, painting a picture of a woman that hadn't existed in a very long time. _Seth didn't get these kinds of side-eyes after he decided to go on his little redemption arc, _Jory thought bitterly.

Bayley wasn't finished digging her hole yet. "You're telling me that none of what people are saying around here is true."

"That is _exactly _what I'm telling you. I've got _zero _desire to get involved with the Shield and their shit. All of it? It's in my rear-view. It has been for a while now, and I have my own problems to deal with. Real problems that like to eat into the time I've reserved for personal vendettas."

"Jory, would you take this seriously?" Bayley told her, exasperated. Jory pushed herself off the wall and took a step forward, her eyes narrowed.

"I take my reputation _very _fucking seriously, so don't you _dare _accuse me of taking this as a joke," Jory growled at her. Bayley's eyes widened. "Anybody with a brain cell can see that Dean Ambrose is playing some mind games at my expense at the moment, but let's be real here - you're only in front of me, pushing the issue, because he's voiced some suspicions and you believe it. You've been drinking his Kool-Aid since we broke up."

"That's not fair, Jory. He's my friend."

"You can be friends with him. What you can stop doing is injecting yourself into all of this."

"You froze me out!" Bayley snapped. "

"Because you can't mind your own business!" Jory exploded. Bayley took a step back. For a moment, she was sure Jory was going to start swinging. "You had to roll up your sleeves and dive into a situation that has _absolutely nothing to do with you. _I froze you out? You got offended when I told you to butt out, so you went to him for your little fix of drama, because he thrives on it just as much as you do, and that's great. But fuck you for instantly believing the worst about me. I thought you were different than that, but once again I can't read a person for shit."

"Don't you dare turn this around on me!"

"You ran up to me and started questioning my character," Jory pointed out. "If I wanted something to happen to him, Bayley, I'd roll up my sleeves and do it myself. I don't need _anybody to _get their hands dirty on my behalf. I can handle myself."

"Yeah, because you've been doing _real _well so far," Bayley retorted. Jory's eyes narrowed.

"Why don't you do us all a favor and go back to being Sasha's lapdog? I think I like you better that way."

Bayley's jaw dropped. Jory stomped past Bayley, bumping her shoulder. She disappeared, not turning back to look at Bayley, who stood frozen in shock in the hallway. Bayley turned her head in Jory's direction, but found her gone. Furious, Bayley stomped down the hall in the opposite direction, looking to put as much distance between herself and Jory as she could.

* * *

**Sitting alone in an empty locker room, as far away as he could get from the other talents, Elias leaned back against the wall and strummed on his Fender guitar. **He'd arrived at the arena to find that he was partnering with Jory in the main event, and he knew right away they were both marked for a pre-match assault. So he'd found an area away from everyone and hunkered down. He had a lot to think about, from his increasingly personal rivalry with Baron Corbin, to the mandate that he'd be spending his holidays at work instead of at home.

The idea of spending Christmas with the likes of Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, and Bobby Lashley didn't appeal to him one iota. Word had spread around the locker room with the announcement that Vince was going to throw an enormous Christmas party with lots of free booze to make up for everyone being away from their loved ones, but Elias wasn't into the idea. He understood the nature of the business, that sometimes he had to miss important parts of life that he would never get back, but he'd been looking forward to spending Christmas with his parents.

He was startled when the door burst open. Looking up from his spot on the floor, he saw Jory walk into the room, slamming the door behind her. His first thought was that her ring gear was nice, that it fit her in all the right places. He was tempted to stop playing, but the look on her face told him that it was in his best interest to keep the music going.

She sat down beside him on the floor. He was a little surprised when she curled up beside him, bringing her black and teal attachable skirt over her like a blanket so her legs were covered. She let her head rest on his shoulder. He looked at her, a smile tugging at the edge of his mouth. Elias hadn't told anyone - Jory included - that he liked when she did that. Somewhere, she'd found some kind of comfort in the moments where she could just sit and listen to him play.

While he played, he thought about the clothes in his suitcase, and he wondered if he had anything that matched the colors she wore. _I mean, if we're going to be a team for a while, we may as well look the part, _he thought to himself.

They sat in silence for a long time while he played. Jory didn't recognize the song; it was something original he was working on. When he finished, he looked at her. She looked up at him, and he could see the storm brewing in her mint orbs. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself." She didn't move or readjust her position. He had no objections.

They fell silent again. Elias let his head rest back against the wall. "You wanna talk about it?" he asked. She was quiet for a long time. Then, she sighed.

"If it's okay, I'd much rather take it out on Alexa in the ring."

"That's good enough for me." With that, he began to play _Wonderful Tonight_ on his guitar.

* * *

**"Hey. **You okay?"

"Fine." Seth's eyes widened and the abrupt tone in Bayley's voice. With trepidation, he sat down beside her on the trunk.

"You need to talk about it?"

"No. I don't need to talk about anything. I don't _want _to talk about anything," Bayley vented. "I don't want to talk about The Shield. I don't want to talk about Dean Ambrose. I don't want to talk about Jordana Moody," Bayley spat angrily. Seth's head perked at that. _Well, that's a new development_, he thought to himself.

"We don't have to talk about anything you don't want to," Seth assured her. "I mean, I don't want to talk about her, either, so it works."

Bayley sighed. "I'm sorry." She looked at Seth, her lips pulled into a sympathetic smile. "Any idea what Baron is going to do about that double DQ?"

"Probably a triple threat. Here's hoping. Either way, I'll get my title back, even if I have to go through both Dean and Finn to do it." Seth gave her a nudge with his upper body. "I was just getting ready to clean up and get something to eat, maybe a coffee. Since it sounds like you're having one of those nights, why don't you clean up and come out with me?"

Bayley thought about it. After the night she'd had, she couldn't think of anything more she wanted to do. She nodded, standing. "You know what, Seth? That sounds like a great plan."

* * *

**Ember stood alone backstage, waiting impatiently for Jory and Elias to emerge through the black curtain that separated Gorilla from backstage. **Jory's music was still blaring through the arena speakers when she and Elias finally burst through. The two of them had narrowly eked out a victory; Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre had interfered, and while the guys were distracted, Jory capitalized on Alexa's momentary lack of focus and made her tap out in the Mood Ring.

From where she was standing, she could tell Jory was upset. It radiated from Jory's body language. Ember had overheard two referees gossiping about Jory's blowout argument with Bayley. One look at Jory and her demeanor, and Ember knew that the story was probably true. She looked like she was one side-eyed glance away from jumping on somebody and beating them about the head, neck, and chest area with open and closed fists. She looked _done_.

"Great job out there," Ember offered them with a grin, clapping her hands together.

"She might be my lucky charm out there. We're undefeated so far," Elias pointed out. Jory shot him a look.

"I'm going to go and clean up." Before Ember or Elias could say anything, she was gone, headed towards the Women's locker room. Ember shifted so she was standing next to Elias, the two of them watching her disappear around the corner without looking back at them.

"Do you have any idea what's up with her?" Elias asked. Ember sighed.

"Word going around is she had the mother of all arguments with Bayley tonight," Ember told him. Elias sighed. "She was happy when she left me. That's all I know."

"Do you mind if I borrow her tonight?" he asked. "I'll drop her off at your hotel."

"I don't mind at all. Do what you've gotta do to get it out of her, because she's not going to talk to me about it."

"I'll do my best," Elias assured her. She nodded.

"I'm going to go and let her know about the change of plans. Thanks for looking out for her."

"It's my pleasure," he told her. With that, they separated, with Elias headed towards the men's locker room for a much-needed shower.

* * *

**"You sure you're fine? **Everyone seems to be worried about you tonight."

Her head rested on her hand, Jory swung her gaze to Elias in the driver's seat. After plans had changed and she'd been told she was going to be driving with Elias instead of Ember, she'd tried to offer to drive, but Elias wasn't hearing any of it. She had no idea what Elias and Ember were playing at, but her mood was shot after her argument with Bayley. So she sat in the passenger's seat in her black yoga pants and baggy Blackcraft hoodie, the hood pulled over past her eyes so the fans couldn't see her. Elias looked no different than he did in the ring, save for the black T-shirt he wore that hadn't seen a seamstress' scissors. His wild black hair was pulled back in a bun at the nape of his neck.

"I'm fine," she told him tersely. Elias nodded.

"I figured you'd say that," he told her. She glared at him. "I'm not going to push the issue with you, Jory. But you know you can speak freely with me, Jory. I'm not going to judge you."

They were quiet for a long time. Jory mulled over his words inside her head. After almost an eternity of silence, when Elias had given up hope that she'd come clean, she spoke. "I think I'm beyond saving."

It was his first instinct to snort, to dismiss her statement with a wave of his hand and tell her that she was crazy. Instead, he tightened his grip on the steering wheel and kept his eyes on the road. "What do you mean?"

She sighed, frustrated. "When I got thrown out of The Authority, I had to come to terms with the person I'd let myself become, and when I realized I hated it, I worked so hard to become somebody my friends and family could be proud of. I've worked _so hard_, and it's like, as soon as someone says something about me, it's just...all undone. Like none of the work, none of the things I've done to make up for the things I've done matters."

"What's brought this on?" he asked.

She sighed. "Bayley. She asked me if I asked Dean Ambrose to hit Seth a few times for me. Dean dedicated the beating to me, and now all of a sudden, I'm the fucking puppet master, pulling the strings. It doesn't matter that she's seen _everything_ I've done. It doesn't matter that she's been with me through everything. It doesn't matter how much I've redeemed myself, at the end of the day, I'm still the piece of garbage they all think that I am." Elias thought he heard her sniffle.

"I heard the rumor. About Ambrose," Elias confessed. She looked at him.

"And?"

"What? I don't believe it. At all. Anyone with a working set of eyes can see that Dean was looking to get a rise out of Seth, and he used you to do it because he knew it was going to work," Elias told her. "I'm not going to lie to you, Jory, I hear about you all the time from 'concerned' fans and from other people, and they paint this ugly picture of a woman I've never met."

"Why don't you believe them? I mean, I'm evil incarnate."

"I don't believe that, either," Elias told her firmly. "None of us are the people we were years ago. We change. We evolve. Everyone does." He shook his head. "You're not evil. You're not beyond saving, you're not beyond help. You're not the woman they say you are. When I look at you, when I'm with you, I just see a woman who is trying to do the best she can."

Jory opened her mouth to speak, but instead she choked on a sob she'd been holding back for hours. Elias pulled into a rest stop, killing the ignition and letting her get out of the car so she could get some fresh air and cry. He let her go off on her own for a few moments before he sighed and got out of the rental car, rounding the car to approach her.

She turned, bumping into him. Jory wrapped her arms around him. A little uncomfortable with the contact, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "It's okay..." he soothed. He scanned his surroundings, taking in every minor detail while she openly sobbed against his shirt. He was thankful he kept a good supply of black shirts, and that he'd chosen to wear one.

"I'm never going to outrun my past," she wept. "Ever. Nobody will ever let me forget it."

"You don't need to outrun it. Embrace it. Learn from it. Grow from it." He pulled back, her face in his hands. They locked eyes. "If they can't accept that, that's their problem, honey, but it's good enough for me." They stared at each other for a while. Finally, she nodded. "I know you're probably tired, but I know a little place just off the highway, if you want to stop for a drink and something to eat. We can get you sorted before I drop you back off with Ember."

She nodded. "I...I think that sounds like a plan."

He let her go, and she followed him back to the SUV. She quietly settled into the passenger's seat and he got them back onto the main road. They were quiet for a long time, the only noise in the car coming from the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song on the radio.

"Elias?"

He looked over at her quickly. "Yeah?"

"Thank you. For everything."

He smiled at her. He looked like he was hesitating before he spoke next, the mischievous glint in his eyes making her smile. "Don't mention it. I'm not going to lie, honey, but you're kind of growing on me."

She laughed. After her evening, it felt good to laugh.


	9. From Bad to Worse

"_**Just what the doctor ordered,**_

_**A hospital bed and a coroner."**_

_**-New Years Day, "2 in the Chest, 1 in the Head"**_

* * *

**Chapter Eight:**

**From Bad to Worse**

* * *

** Seth's shoulders slumped as his eyes scanned the match card in front of him. **Depending on how one looked at things, it could have been argued that Seth had deluded himself into believing that Baron would turn the TLC title match into a triple threat between him, Dean, and Finn. It was an old WWE standby; since a winner just couldn't be determined, they'd just have to include both. Sure, having Dean Ambrose in the match presented an issue, since the man was such a wildcard, but Seth would be in the championship hunt, and that was all that mattered.

But now, standing in front of the white board scrawled in black, red, and blue Sharpie, Seth saw every fantasy he had in the last week go up in a plume of smoke. He ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek and nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly as his gaze fell on his name. _I should have known, _he thought to himself bitterly. _Nothing ever comes easy around here. _

"DEAN AMBROSE VS. SETH ROLLINS. NO DQ. THERE MUST BE A WINNER!"

The demand was scrawled in Baron's handwriting, in red ink, over top of their names. Seth nodded. He was going to have to find a quiet space to himself, put on some headphones, and get himself into the zone. Hardcore matches with Dean Ambrose were a different kind of beast. The new Dean Ambrose only added a heightened element of danger to an already volatile situation. He touched his forehead, a reaction, cringing as he recalled the feeling of Dean's teeth sinking into his forehead.

"You drew the short straw again tonight, didn't you?"

Seth turned to see Bayley standing behind him, her arms crossed over her chest. She was dressed in dark blue jeans and a burgundy T-shirt underneath a black moto jacket. Her hair was down, brushed straight around her face. She wore an expression of bemusement. Seth looked back at the match card and sighed.

"Did I ever. Dean's gotta be feeling really good about himself right now," he grumbled. Bayley's eyes widened.

"What's this? Are you defeated already?"

"Me? Never," Seth snorted. "But you have to admit that standing across the ring from a vengeful Dean Ambrose is definitely not a good position to be in."

"Yeah, I can give you that," she told him. "The concert's in a few days, so can you do me a favor and try to come out of this in one piece?"

"That's a talk you should probably be having with Dean." She nodded.

"I hate to cut this short, but I need to find Sasha and get ready for our match tonight. Good luck out there. You can do this," she told him. He thanked her for the encouragement, bumping fists with her. Seth watched her leave, his hands moving to his hips.

Since breaking up with Jory, he knew that he'd been relying on Bayley to get him through the spurts of loneliness he felt. In the past few weeks, Jory had quit becoming the thread that tied them together. Bayley had told him that she didn't want to talk about Jory anymore, and he'd been more than happy to oblige. Something had happened between them, but he didn't want to pry.

He was surprised at Jory. Since their breakup, she'd revealed to him a side of her he'd never seen – one of a bitch with a heart of ice. An immature, petulant girl who refused to grant him the smallest of acknowledgements. She did everything in her power to put as much distance between them as she could, and for what? Because he'd called her out on the rumors that had spiraled around them? Because she'd refused his pleas to stay away from Baron Corbin, because he knew that nothing good would possibly come of their friendship.

She'd chosen Baron Corbin as a hill to die on – what was Seth supposed to think? They'd drifted apart. Every part of their relationship suffered, and she was spending a lot of time hanging out with another man. As far as Seth was concerned, the rumors were plausible. All he'd wanted was the truth, and she'd left him. What was he supposed to think?

So, she'd pulled the plug, and they were over, and he ceased to exist. She put him over if she had to, but she did it without saying his name. She'd gone radio silent on social media; she ignored fans who asked her about him. His pictures were gone from her Instagram account; she'd stopped following him everywhere she could. At the time she'd ended it, he'd believed he could salvage things, that it was just words. Even now, he failed to understand how deeply he'd cut her.

_Obviously, I cut deep. She went to Dean Ambrose because she can't get her hands on me. _

It was still a split narrative; some thought it was a classic case of mind games, others thought she was a vengeful Jezebel because they believed the words Seth had said on Lilian's podcast and her actions in the past. He'd expected her to be banging down doors and letting everyone know that she was wrongfully accused; instead, she kept her head down and moved forward.

He sighed. There was no good in thinking about her. She was gone, and she wasn't coming back. _You know Dean was probably right – you hitched everything to her, and she made you weak. Pining for her is weak. You're the King Slayer, the Architect, the breakout star of The Shield. She's Dean's team now. He can have her. Focus. Next year could once again be the Year of Seth Rollins. Just gotta play my cards right. _

With a nod, Seth left the match card. He needed to focus. He _had _to win. He _needed _to regain the championship from Finn Balor. He needed to prove why Triple H had chosen him personally to throw all of his resources behind all those years ago. He needed to prove to everyone with a working set of eyes that the hype was real. He'd allowed himself to become distracted by life, but it was time to get back to Seth Rollins.

* * *

** Bobby Lashley never saw it coming. **

The guitar hit him _perfectly_, flat back on flat back, sending Bobby to the ground face-first in a hail of splintered wood and snapping strings. Holding what was left of his guitar in his hand, Elias looked down at Bobby writhing on the floor, and he had no regrets. Hitting Bobby had been worth it, and it was a good start after being on the receiving end of constant beat-downs by both him and Drew.

Throwing the destructed guitar down to the ground, Elias ran his free hand through his black hair, nodding in approval at his handiwork. Taking Bobby Lashley out of commission for the evening was going to create a fair fight in his upcoming match with Drew McIntyre later on in the evening.

It hadn't been his grand plan; he wasn't lying in wait for Bobby Lashley to walk past so he could hit him with his guitar. He hadn't been looking for Bobby at all. But he'd walked past while Elias had been tuning his guitar around the corner, and he'd made a snap decision to protect himself. Baron and his henchmen weren't going to stop until they put Elias on the shelf, and he had every intention of outlasting them.

"_What the hell have you done?"_

Elias turned and saw Baron approaching, incensed. He was flanked by two security guards, men dressed in yellow T-shirts and black slacks, both men shorter than Elias by a wide margin. Elias held up his hands. "Just handing out some receipts," Elias replied. "I got another one for you and for your boy McIntyre."

"You've got nothing," Baron spat. "You're leaving."

"The hell I am."

Baron cocked his head. "Get this son of a bitch out of here," he commanded. Taking a step back, security approached Elias. Shaking his head in disgust, Elias grinned.

"Fine. Tell your boy I'll catch him next week."

"Get the hell out of here. You can enjoy the surprise I've got for your little girlfriend from your hotel room, dick!" Elias felt himself jolt at the mention of Jory. _A surprise? That's not good. I don't like the sound of that…_

Instead of arguing, Elias turned and walked away with security following close behind him. He knew that there was no shot he'd find Jory on his way out with security dictating the route he'd take, so he was going to have to send her a text message and warn her to be careful.

"Son of a bitch," he grumbled. What had seemed like a great idea only moments before now suddenly felt like the opposite. As the security guards parked outside the locker room so he could gather his bags, Elias couldn't help but feel like he'd served Jory with a death sentence. He'd gambled, and she was the one who was going to lose, and all he could do was sit back in his hotel room and watch it unfold.

He hated to admit it, but he hadn't thought about Jory. He'd only been thinking about himself.

* * *

**"Hey. **I just heard that Alexa is planning on accompanying Natalya down to the ring tonight for your match, so I think I'm gonna do the same. You know, even the odds," Ember told her as she approached. Jory was sitting in the makeup chair, getting her lips painted light pink by Lindy Sue. Unable to speak at the moment, Jory could only accept Ember's offer with a flicker in her gaze and a slight nod of her head.

To say she was a little concerned about the way her night was going to unfold was an understatement; only minutes before she'd heard through the grapevine that Elias had gotten ejected from the arena for getting the jump on Bobby Lashley. It was the hot topic backstage. Jory understood; Elias had been looking out for himself, looking to even the odds in his now-cancelled match against Drew McIntyre. Now, she'd heard Baron's new plan was to feed a local competitor to the Scottish Psychopath. Elias' attack on Drew to protect himself had ended up giving Drew an easy evening. When she'd heard the new plan, she'd snorted; words failed to convey how disgusted she was with Baron Corbin and the people he surrounded himself with. Anyone with a working set of eyes could see that the _Raw _brand was on fire; it was a matter of waiting to see which McMahon would step up and put it out.

"Thanks," Jory replied when Lindy finished. Her phone buzzed on the makeup table, startling her. Reaching out, Jory unlocked her screen and read the message, her eyes narrowing. She quickly typed out a reply, her lips pursing into a thin line. Ember put her hands on her hips and cocked her head.

"What's up?"

"It's Elias. He caught wind on the way out that Baron and Alexa have a plan for me tonight, and he wants me to be careful." She sighed, putting the phone back down on the tabletop.

"It's probably whatever Alexa's got planned heading down to the ring with Nattie," Ember surmised, sitting down in the chair beside Jory. "So I'm with you tonight – strength in numbers. You're not leaving my sight until we leave the building tonight," she promised.

"Thanks, Ember." They bumped fists as another makeup lady began slathering primer on Ember's face.

"It's certainly nice of Elias to warn you," Lindy Sue began. "Close your eyes." Jory shut her eyes so she could take a spritz of setting spray to her face. "He certainly has taken a shine to you…"

Ember's eyes shifted to Jory, whose eyes were still closed as she was sprayed. Ember's eyes widened when she noted Jory was _blushing_ in the seat beside her. "It's because we're both in the weeds with management," Jory replied. "They really seem to hate us."

"Yeah. I'm sure that's what it is," Ember jumped in quickly, nodding. She caught eyes with Lindy Sue and quickly averted so she could keep a straight face. "I know it's been a lot to handle around here since Stephanie put Baron in charge and sent Kurt into retirement."

"It has," Jory agreed. She slid out of the makeup chair and grabbed her phone. "I'm gonna go stretch out. I'll catch you before it's time to go. Keep your head on a swivel tonight, Ember."

"You, too. Make it to the match in one piece," Ember pleaded. They bumped fists. Jory walked away from the station, her ponytail swinging with each step. Ember shot a look at Lindy Sue, who began setting up to do Ember's makeup.

"They're into each other," Lindy told Ember, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Ember nodded.

"Yeah. I believe it. I just don't think she's ready to move on from Rollins yet."

* * *

**Natalya had been in the game long enough to know it was a good idea to roll out of the ring and get out of Dodge when referee John Cone threw out the match on a disqualification. **He'd left the ring midway through Natalya vs. Jordana Moody to break up a skirmish between Ember and Alexa, only to be rewarded with a hard slap to the face by Alexa for his efforts. Seeing no other choice after being assaulted, he threw out the match and declared Jory the winner. Natalya and Jory had stood in the ring, fuming, with hands on their hips. It wasn't how they wanted the match to end; the competitor in them wanted a definitive winner. Alexa had robbed them and had robbed the fans of a competitive match.

Jory watched Alexa throw Ember into the ring post, following behind her to stand on the woman's abdomen and throat, holding onto the post to support her balance while Ember kicked and flailed underneath Alexa's boots. The crowd booed.

Furious, Jory made her way towards the ropes, to slide underneath the bottom and run after Alexa, to hopefully chase her backstage, back into the confines of Baron Corbin's office, but she stopped dead in her tracks when she felt the canvas shift behind her. The crowd let out a loud, "_Oh!"_

It was then that Jory realized that she'd walked into Alexa's trap, hand-in-hand with Ember. _Shit. This is it. This was all part of her surprise. You idiot. You've walked right into her trap, and you've dragged poor Ember into it with you. What the hell were you thinking? You're smarter than this. _

Turning slowly, Jory's eyes widened as her gaze fell on the burly blonde standing across the ring. Jory recognized her immediately; NXT UK's Jazzy Gabert, a standout from the first Mae Young Classic competition. She was dressed in black leggings and a shiny gold halter bralette, her blonde hair mussed into a Mohawk. Her fists were curled at her sides. The two women stared each other down, stuck in a stalemate.

_Okay. This is bad. This is really, really bad. _

She knew that there was paperwork involved in bringing Jazzy over from Europe, which meant that Baron and Alexa had been sitting on this secret for some time. _She's got a bodyguard now, and life just got a little more interesting…_

It was the last thought Jory had, as Jazzy charged Jory, arm out like she was about to clothesline her. Jory ducked underneath. Her plan was to hit the ropes and use the momentum to take Jazzy off her feet, but she'd failed to scout Alexa properly, and a hard forearm to the kidneys sent Jory down on all fours to the canvas.

From outside the ring, Alexa barked commands at her new escort. "You know what to do!"

Jazzy approached like an animal, her hand wrapping in Jory's hair. Alexa was underneath the ring, searching for a chair. Jazzy hit Jory with the Omega-plex, knocking the wind out of her.

Alexa pushed the steel chair underneath the bottom rope, following behind it. Standing, she locked eyes with Jazzy, nodding, impressed with the work of her new bodyguard. Alexa cocked her head; wordlessly, Jazzy picked up the chair and began to set it up around Jory's neck as Alexa climbed to the middle rope.

Realizing what their plan was, Jory began to struggle, but Jazzy held her in place, pinning her to the mat by the forearms. Jory couldn't have articulated the horror she felt if she'd tried; all she could do was watch as Alexa jumped off the ropes, aiming for the chair.

Once again, Alexa was intent on ending her career, intent on making the name Jordana Moody a footnote in the WWE encyclopedia. As she came down with her full weight on the chair, Jory could barely hear the crowd over the pain she suddenly felt. She was aware of a large amount of blood spitting from her lips and landing on her skin. Suddenly, all she could smell was copper.

She convulsed and struggled and writhed on the canvas, struggling to get the chair off her. A swarm of referees hit the ring quickly, and she was grateful when one of them – in her shock, she wasn't sure who it was – removed the chair. But she couldn't breathe, and she quickly began to panic. Blood poured from the corners of her mouth, spilling down her cheeks in a thick line.

Proud of her handiwork, Alexa allowed Jazzy to raise her on her shoulders. Arms up, Alexa posed for the crowd. Some jeered her, others were stunned into silence by the violence they had just seen. The referees loaded Jory onto the gurney, strapping her in and elevating it so she wouldn't be at risk of choking on her blood. There was a smattering of "Jordana" chants in the crowd.

She was panicked. It felt like she couldn't get air. Her throat felt crushed. Tears mingled with blood. The paramedics began wheeling her up the ramp, quickly moving to get her to the ambulances. A child's loud scream hit her ears, making her wince.

Then, she was on the ground.

Jazzy stood over Jory, who was still strapped to the gurney, on her side and spitting blood. The referees swarmed Jazzy and Alexa, motioning them to get out of there while the paramedics worked at resetting Jory on the gurney. Alexa took a moment to pose for the crowd and motion to Jazzy before the two women disappeared behind the curtain, leaving Jory struggling to breathe on the ground.

* * *

**"Alexa – Alexa, a word, if you have a moment…"**

Charly approached, unable to keep the somber expression off her face. She'd seen everything on the monitor, had seen Jory wheeled past her as people were shouting all kinds of commands in medical jargon she couldn't begin to comprehend if she'd tried, and it left her feeling nauseous. Seeing Alexa and Jazzy all smiles and laughing about the damage they'd just inflicted left Charly feeling disgusted. She didn't want to talk to them; if they'd dropped off the face of the Earth, she wouldn't have objected. But she had to do her job. She had to be a professional. As she approached them, microphone in her hand, she wished someone else was handling the interviews.

Alexa turned her attention to Charly, her eyes narrowing. "What do you want?" she asked impatiently.

"It's obviously been a big night for you…" Charly began. The words tasted sour and rotten in her mouth. "Tonight, you've introduced..."

"_My contingency plan_," Alexa finished firmly. Charly's eyes darted to Jazzy, who stood stock still and silent behind her pint-sized boss. Alexa turned her attention to the camera that was on her, blue eyes narrowing in anger. "Let what just happened to Jordana be a lesson to _everybody _in this company. Jordana's been walking around here for a long time, thinking she's untouchable, that she's one step ahead of everybody, but tonight I proved her wrong. Tonight, she fell five steps behind _the best_. And that's me.

"_I _run this division. _I am _the Women's division. _I _am the head of this division. You don't have to like me, but all of you _will _respect me. The landscape is about to change around here, and if anybody has a problem with it, feel free to take your ball and head back to the bingo halls where you belong." She absently hit Jazzy in the torso with the back of her hand lightly. "Come on, Jazzy. We've got some celebrating to do."

Charly pulled back, the microphone close to her chest, her mouth slightly agape at the nasty words Alexa had just thrown out into the universe. She'd always been a petulant princess, but it was clear that her new position had hit her head faster than everyone had anticipated. Charly pursed her lips together, the anger and disgust in her eyes fading to concern. Jory's blood-spattered face and her gasps for air would haunt her dreams when she laid down in her hotel room at the end of the evening.


	10. Alive or Just Breathing

"_**All I have is one last chance, I won't turn my back on you. **_

_**Take my hand, drag me down. If you fall, then I will, too."**_

_**Breaking Benjamin, "Without You"**_

* * *

**Chapter Nine:**

**Alive or Just Breathing**

* * *

** Paul Moody had watched his daughter's violent attack on TV but had thought little of it. **

When Jory had started out as a professional wrestler, Paul had learned firsthand that it was a strange beast of an industry, a place where nothing was ever what it seemed. It was a larger than life business, where image was everything, and he often found himself confused about what was real and what was put on for the cameras. He knew that the bad blood and animosity between Alexa Bliss and Jory was very real, but he still hadn't given what he'd seen much thought. Blood packets, rehearsed stunts…he was sure everything was fine.

But then Tabitha had answered the phone.

It was Mark Carrano in Talent Relations. Jory was hurt bad and nobody was sure how serious it was, but it was serious enough that he was on a plane with Tabitha headed to her location within forty-five minutes of receiving the call. WWE had been kind enough to arrange a ride from the airport to the hospital, telling him not to worry about anything but getting to his daughter.

Knowing that the company was paying for his travel made Paul's blood run cold; WWE _never _paid for family to come out on the company dime. It told him that her injuries were serious, and that she was, in fact, on the way to the hospital, that her injuries were far more than the company doctors were equipped to handle. Since his wife passed, Paul wasn't a man who prayed or necessarily believed in God, but helpless at thirty-seven thousand feet in the air, Paul found himself praying for his daughter's safety over and over again, hoping for the best but telling himself to expect the worst.

The worst part about it was nobody knowing how serious it was. Nobody had any information to give him, no answers to any of his questions, nothing to ease his suffering. He was thankful for Tabitha; she'd begun packing their bags before he was off the phone. She hadn't batted an eyelash – she'd gone straight to the bedroom and began to get everything together.

He was out of the car before it had come to a stop in front of the hospital, sprinting towards the sliding glass door of the emergency room. He came to a stop, sucking in an agitated breath when he saw the line of people waiting to check in. "This is going to take forever," he lamented. Tabitha approached, reaching out and putting a hand on his shoulder to keep him in check. It was his first instinct to grab someone, anyone, and force them to take him to Jory.

He looked around the lobby, a wide open space with a coffee kiosk in the middle, made up in dark wood and forest green. A gift shop was a few feet beyond the kiosk, filled with books and knickknacks. He realized that he was going to need a cup of coffee if he wanted to get through the evening. As he debated leaving the line for a cup, he spotted Elias emerge from around the corner, armed with a large cup of tea. He was looking at his phone screen, still dressed in the clothing he'd been ejected from the arena in. His hair was pulled back away from his face, tied in a bun at the nape of his neck. Relieved to see a familiar face, Paul left the line and approached. Tabitha thought about leaving the line, but she stayed.

"Hey…Hey, you…Elias, right?"

Startled, Elias looked up. He eyed the man in front of him warily. "Look, man, now is not a good time for autographs…" he started. Paul cut him off with a shake of his head.

"No, no. You work with my daughter," he blurted. Elias' expression gave way to relief.

"You're Jory's old man?" he asked. Paul nodded. Elias let his head fall back, and he sucked in a breath. "Thank God. I wasn't sure if anyone was going to call you or get you down here or what. You don't know how glad I am you're here." He extended his hand. Paul shook it; in spite of his fear, Paul couldn't help but note that Elias possessed a strong handshake.

"Paul Moody. How's she doing?"

"I don't know. Hopefully you can tell me when they talk to you," he confessed. "I'm not family or next of kin, so they aren't telling me anything." Realizing that Elias was their link to Jory, Tabitha left the line and approached them. "I got here as fast as I could, but not before they wheeled her into surgery." His eyes fell on Tabitha. "You must be Tabitha. Elias."

"Nice to meet you," she offered, shaking his hand quickly.

"Jory's told me a lot about you both." He took a sip of his tea. "I was just going to go back and wait for her to get out of surgery. You can follow me, if you'd like." Elias made his way towards the doors that separated the waiting area from the emergency room, Tabitha and Paul following close behind. Once they were through the doors, Paul left them to find a doctor to talk to.

Left alone with Elias, Tabitha was intimidated. He was tall and wide and very muscular. It struck her, a random thought out of nowhere, that someone his size was normal in Jory's world, that she probably didn't blink the first time she'd seen him.

They sat down, Elias taking a sip of his tea. He was working on his fourth cup. There was an awkward pause between them before Tabitha cleared her throat. "Thanks for being here. Paul's been panicking that she was all alone."

"It's the least I can do," Elias confessed with a sigh. It was on the tip of his tongue to confess to Tabitha that the attack and her subsequent injuries had been his fault, but he took another sip from his cup. He turned his head and found Paul chatting with a doctor, both men appearing solemn. He sighed. "Jory's been rooming with Ember Moon. It's looking like she's gonna be here for a little while, so she said if you need a place to crash for the night, you can take Jory's bed."

"We might have to take her up on that. We haven't thought about any of the logistics," Tabitha confessed with a sigh. Elias looked at her now, and saw she was just as exhausted as he was. "It's been go, go, go, since we got the call from Mark. All we've been thinking about is Jory…"

They fell quiet. She studied him. Out of everyone she knew, he was at the hospital. Seth wasn't there. Sure, they'd split, but Tabitha knew if he cared, he'd be there. Beneath his stoic exterior, she could feel the worry radiating from him. She nodded. "Jory's going to be okay."

"I know she is," Elias replied. "She's as tough as it gets."

Tabitha felt like he wanted to say more, but he said nothing else. He rubbed his face with his hand before he took another sip of tea. He hoped Paul would have some kind of an update soon, something that would put their minds at ease.

* * *

**It was easier to breathe when she awoke, but the pain was intense. **

A few moments passed before Jory's eyes opened, her vision coming into focus on her father and Tabitha standing by her bedside, their concerned expression mirroring each other. She realized her injuries must have been severe if they were there with her and not at home in Chicago. Still hazy from anesthetic and painkillers, Jory couldn't make sense of anything she was seeing.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Paul was quick to shush his daughter. "You're not going to be able to talk for a while, Jory – they had to do surgery on your throat."

Jory blinked. Everything had been pure chaos when she'd arrived at the hospital because she'd been panicking. There were quick tests – she'd never received results so fast – and then there was some kind of panic and then she was wheeled into a room and knocked out with an IV full of sedatives.

Then she recalled Alexa's latest attempt at ending her career, and the new backup she'd found in NXT UK's Jazzy Gabert. She recalled the feeling of the chair crunching her throat and her hand moved to her neck, her fingers gingerly touching the square bandage on her neck.

"You got lucky," Paul told her. "An inch or two lower, and the damage would have been permanent. The bad news is you're going to sound like you have a cold for a while, but the doctor doesn't think it's going to last forever."

_That's a relief_, she thought to herself. The idea of going through the rest of her life sounding like John Laurinaitis didn't appeal to her. She'd take sounding hoarse temporarily over permanent any day of the year. Sure, it was vain, but she didn't care. Not at that moment. She looked at her father and offered him a sad smile.

He didn't smile back.

"She could have killed you," Paul told her glumly.

Even if she'd had the ability to speak, Jory knew she couldn't argue with that. Her father was right. What had happened to her hours ago had been far and away the most severe injury she'd ever sustained inside the ring. Broken bones was nothing compared to having her airway compromised.

"We can talk about all of that later," Tabitha told him firmly. Paul opened his mouth to say something, but he closed his mouth and nodded. But Jory knew he wasn't happy. Tabitha reached down and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Your friend should be happy when he gets back. He's been so worried about you."

"_My friend_?" she mouthed, eyes narrowing in confusion.

"Elias," Paul told her.

"_Elias is here?" _she mouthed and motioned with her hands. They both nodded.

"Yeah. We told him he could head back to the hotel a while ago, but he isn't going anywhere without seeing you first," Tabitha confessed. "He seems like a nice fellow." Jory nodded. "We weren't sure when you were going to wake up, so we sent him to get something to eat, since he'd been here for so long."

"_I'm okay_," she mouthed.

"Jory…" Paul started, but was cut off by another voice behind them.

"Hey. You're awake."

Jory looked at Elias, who stood in the doorway nursing another cup of tea. The smile on his face was soft, but from where she lay in her bed, she could see how exhausted he was. She smiled back at him, her hand raising slightly to wave at him. Elias flashed her a smile and walked into the room. Tabitha looked at Paul and cocked her head towards the door. Paul cleared his throat.

"It's been a long night, Jory. Tabby and I haven't eaten yet. We're going to get dinner and let you visit with Elias." Jory nodded. "We'll be back," he assured her, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

"_Love you_," she mouthed.

"Love you, too, Jory." He looked back at Jory before he left with Tabitha. Jory turned her attention to Elias, who pulled a chair up to her bedside and sat down beside her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. Unsure of how to answer that, she held up her hand and shook it, as if to say "so-so". He shook his head. "Jory, I'm so sorry. I should have been there. I should have…"

"_Phone_," she mouthed. Elias looked at her, confused.

"What?"

She mimed phone. Elias quickly dug into his pocket and unlocked his screen, handing it to her. He watched her pull up an app on his phone and begin typing. When she was finished, she handed the phone to him. His eyes scanned the screen.

_Hey. None of that. None of this is your fault. If you'd stayed, you'd probably be in the bed to the left, and what good would that do? _

Elias sighed. As much as it pained him to admit it, she was right. Baron and Alexa had walked into the evening with a game plan to put both of them on the shelf, and they'd half-succeeded. Jory was going to be on the shelf for a while. He was still there to pick up his sword and fight.

But oh, how he wished she was standing there beside him.

She took the phone back from him and began to type again. _How did you know I was here?_

He read the words quickly. "Ember. She told me everything. She got the trainer to tell me where they were taking you, and I got here as soon as I could. She wanted to be here, but she's pretty banged up herself. Your dad and Tabitha are going to room with her tonight, since you aren't going anywhere for a little while." Jory nodded. She turned her attention back to his phone.

_Thank you for being here. _

Elias smiled. "You'd do the same for me," he covered. She nodded. He surprised her by reaching out and taking her hand in his. She found his touch warm and comforting after such a terrible night. They offered soft, sad smiles at each other. "They are probably going to keep you here for a bit, but when you're out and back on the road, I owe you dinner." With a smile, she removed her hand from his and typed another message on his phone. He leaned over and looked.

_I'd settle for dinner and a concert. You look like you do a mean Wonderwall._

Elias laughed. He had no idea how she'd maintained any sense of humor at all, given the night she had, but it was a welcome development. She smiled. "When you get out of here and back on the road, it's a date."


	11. Shifting Landscapes

"_**Nobody wants it, nobody wants to hear the truth,**_

_**Nobody wants it, nobody needs the pain but you."**_

_**-Sevendust, "Nobody Wants It"**_

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

**Shifting Landscapes**

* * *

** Whenever it seemed like things in her life couldn't get much messier, Jory always found herself surprised by every new twist and turn, and while she wasn't a steadfast believer in karma, Jory often found herself wondering if she was still paying for the sins of her past. **_At some point, all of this insanity around me is going to stop, right? I mean, eventually, whoever's overseeing the proceedings is going to get bored of fucking with me and move on, right? Someone? Anyone? Ugh. _

Sometimes, late at night when her mind was in overdrive and keeping her awake, Jory wondered how much misfortune she brought on herself. Losing her partnership with Seth was an unwelcome development, but she knew it was a direct consequence of her stubbornness to see the good in the people around her. She supposed it made her naïve, trying to see the good side of her colleagues when there was so much evidence to the contrary, but after her unceremonious departure from The Authority, Jory told herself that taking chances and keeping an open heart would keep her from falling into any traps. Yeah, things hadn't worked out in The Authority, they'd used Nikki Bella to stick the knife in her back and twist the blade, but in the end, she'd found herself. If she'd stayed on the course she'd been on, she would never have walked the paths she needed to.

In her time away from Seth, she asked herself if she'd listen to Seth if she had the opportunity to do everything over, if she'd cut off her friendship with Baron Corbin. Deep down she knew it wouldn't have prevented her from being stuck in yet another war with WWE management. She supposed anyone with a working set of brain cells would jump at the opportunity to do things over, but as the time they spent apart grew wider, Jory found she wasn't so sure she'd take the chance if she was offered.

Knowing that Seth would so quickly push her out of his world still stung. It chipped away at her confidence and ate away at her thoughts. Could she have done anything different? She wasn't sure. But his appearance on Lilian's podcast did little to silence the little voice inside her head that said she was a placeholder for Seth until he got his brotherhood back, until he found his way back to the top after the same people who cast her out kicked him down to the bottom. She'd seen kindred spirits; perhaps he'd seen a warm body. By the way he spoke to Lilian about her, it seemed likely.

To do things over would mean that her newfound friendship with Elias would probably never come to pass. In a short amount of time, she was embarrassed to admit that she relied on him as so much more than a friend – he was her partner, her eyes and ears, the Redfield to her Valentine, the Hawk to her Animal. He was the kind of partner anyone would want, someone who watched her back and jumped in when things got a little too hot to handle. She had no idea what he really thought of her, but she supposed if he was willing to take her to his favorite spot to check out live music, then she couldn't have been so bad in his books.

He didn't just fill the void in her life that Seth's departure had created; he was quickly filling the void that Bayley had left behind. When she left Seth, Jory didn't think for a moment that it would craft a wedge between them. Bayley, the first competitor on the roster to offer her forgiveness for all the rotten things she'd done. Bayley, who'd pushed her and Seth together and had been so happy for the two of them.

She hadn't expected Bayley to take sides in her split with Seth. Bayley knew that Seth had sat across from Lilian and lied to her face, so her belief that Jory was behaving unreasonably was an unspeakable insult. She couldn't wrap her mind around Bayley suddenly being judgmental of the way she chose to handle a personal situation.

Her confusion over what happened between her and Bayley only compounded when her notifications went off rapidly mid-morning while she made herself a cup of tea with honey and lemon. Life had been rough for Jordana Moody since leaving the hospital; WWE had been kind enough to arrange a rental car for the Moody family's drive back to Chicago. Nobody wanted to run the risk of the elevation messing with her post-surgery, so it was a long drive home with her father, who wasn't happy about the turn of events. For hours she listened to him advise her on the next step of her career, steps that included charging Alexa Bliss criminally and leaving the wrestling industry in favor of a safer job that didn't require her to travel all over the world three hundred and twenty days a year.

Jory was honestly tired of dancing with Alexa Bliss. Standing across the battlefield from the tiny blonde no longer held any element of surprise. For some reason, dating back to her early days with the company, management liked to hold Alexa over Jory's head like a weapon waiting to be deployed, a replacement waiting in the wings if Jory wouldn't play the game and fall in line.

So she'd played the game, the way she'd imagined Trish Stratus had when she started. The way she assumed Sable had, and so many other women before her, and when she'd been tossed off the field, it had taken her some time to realize she was better for it happening, but she'd realized it. She'd grown, something she knew couldn't have been possible if she had everything handed to her on a silver platter. It still felt like she'd never be fully accepted.

She'd assumed the notification on her phone had to do with some kind of announcement from Alexa Bliss, that her phone was going off because everyone had an opinion. What she'd been greeted with instead made her body lurch and her eyes narrow.

Pictures.

She'd completely forgotten about Bayley and Seth's Parkway Drive concert. After she'd handed the tickets off to Bayley she hadn't given the show a second thought. Between Baron, Alexa, Elias, and all of the other pieces of chaos in her life, it had slipped her mind.

He was behind her, arms wrapped around her waist, the same way they'd been wrapped around hers when they'd seen A Day to Remember together. It was an intimate looking picture, and there was a sinking feeling in her guts that told her she knew how the night had ended.

For the first time in a while, her thoughts became bitter. _Does he fuck everyone he goes to a concert with? Wow. He probably told me everything I wanted to hear, and then told Lilian the truth. God, I'm so stupid! _

People tagged Jory in the photographs, telling her to come and get her man. Some theorized if there was a relationship between Bayley and Seth. Some were happy he moved on from a gold-digger like Jory. Some were at the concert and said that it definitely looked like they were wrestling's hot new couple, the Architect and the Horsewoman. Jory was surprised at the range of emotions she felt, ranging for confusion to hostility.

She wasn't stupid; she was sure Seth was dating, that he was seeing women. _After all, we were just "hanging out". You're the one being stupid and holding out for whatever reason. _She was sure he was having his fill of every brunette he came across. But there was something him being so intimate with Bayley that felt like a betrayal. What she was staring at weren't pictures of two friends hanging out and taking in live music; they were pictures of two people sharing an intimate moment.

It made her feel sick.

* * *

**"Damn it. **Come on, Jory, pick up the phone."

Bayley's lips pursed into a thin line as once again, Jory's phone went straight to voicemail.

By her count, it was the fourth attempt she'd made to call Jory, after direct messaging and text messages fell through. Dressed in her purple and gold gear, her brown hair down around her face, Bayley paced back and forth in the women's locker room, her free hand in her hair, biting back the frustration she felt at the weary introduction Jory gave to her answering service. She'd hoped to smooth things over before her match later on; she and Sasha were going to be teaming up once again to take on the team of Dana Brooke and Natalya. Bayley knew the only way she'd be able to focus on the match was to get in touch with Jory and explain everything that was going around online.

"Hey – hey, Jory, it's me. It's Bayley again. Look, I know you and I haven't really been getting along late, and things have been kind of messed up, but…we should probably talk about the stuff that's going around online right now. I think I owe you that much. Woman to woman, call me, so we can hash this out, okay? Call me back, please? I got a match later on, but I'll have my phone on me the rest of the night. Call me back, Jory, please?"

With a deep sigh, Bayley ended the call and resisted the urge to throw her phone. It had only been a few hours since the pictures had started circulating online and the rumor mill started gaining momentum. She'd been tagged in the pictures by nosy and hurtful fans, who also tagged Jory in the pictures as well. Bayley knew that deep down, while she was doing her best to hide it, that Jory still cared about Seth. Even if she never acknowledged it again, Jory had fallen for Seth. Feelings were complex, and she knew Jory's feelings didn't just shut off because Seth had said hurtful things.

She looked down at the phone in her hand and pursed her lips. They'd made a huge mistake, and while she'd hoped that the secret would be carried to the grave in the event Seth and Jory got back together, the pictures meant that she'd have to be an adult and have an awkward conversation that would probably damage whatever relationship she had left with Jory beyond repair.

There was no blaming what had happened on the alcohol. Neither could Seth. In the morning he'd insisted that they were two consenting adults who needed to work out some stress, nothing more and nothing less. It wasn't a rebound; it was just two friends having fun. Her name had never come up, so she believed him. They'd both wanted it, but Bayley knew she'd committed a cardinal sin, had broken the unspoken Girl Code. She thought they'd been discreet, that nobody would be the wiser. He'd been handsy and affectionate at the show, but she hadn't seen anyone paying attention.

She'd assumed wrong.

Pictures of him holding her against him, her back pressed against his chest, his arms wrapped around her midsection. To an untrained eye, they definitely looked like a hot new wrestling couple. They were intimate pictures, and it wasn't just going to make things difficult with Jory, but it was going to make things a touch complicated with her partner.

She had no intention of pursuing a relationship with Seth, and he felt the same way. Sure, she'd been separated from her fiancé for a few months, but it was looking like they would get back together and have the happy ending she'd always dreamed of. Seth was just her friend, a friend who happened to be reeling from losing his best friend and his girlfriend and seen every opportunity to become a champion slip through his fingers.

As frustrated as she was with Jory for freezing her out, she knew that she'd broken an unwritten rule, and that Jory was definitely going to be upset with her. If the shoe were on the other foot, Bayley knew she'd probably be upset with Jory, too. The easy thing to do would be to deny that anything happened, to say that the pictures were taken out of context, but Bayley knew that she couldn't lie. Their body language in the picture said more than words ever could. They looked romantic.

She'd fretted about telling Jory the morning after, when the high of the evening before had faded and given way to logic and reason. Seth had snorted at her fears; as far as he was concerned, who he shared a bed with was nobody's business but his. Bayley pointed out to him that while she didn't owe Jory an explanation, they still had to work together in the same division, that she wanted to be on even ground, even if their friendship was over. Seth had shrugged it off and turned on the morning news.

Bayley jolted when the door to the locker room burst open and Sasha walked in, dressed in matching gear. Her eyes were wide. "Oh my God, you slept with Seth!" Sasha blurted. Bayley shook her head, exasperated. Bayley looked down at her phone. Sasha's gaze followed. "Jory?"

Bayley sighed. "Attempting. She's not answering."

"Well, she did have throat surgery. She probably can't talk too well at the moment," Sasha pointed out.

"I know, but she's not answering text messages and DMs either," Bayley told her. "I'm about ninety-five percent sure she's ghosting me."

"Nah. She's probably resting and away from her phone," Sasha assured her. Bayley shook her head.

"I broke the Girl Code."

"So? Who cares? What two consenting, _single _adults do is nobody's business but theirs," Sasha pointed out. "I mean, Jory and Seth are _not _getting back together. She's made that pretty clear." Bayley nodded, but it did little to quell the guilt that had settled in the pit of her stomach. "Are you two a thing now?"

"No," Bayley blurted quickly, her response catching Sasha by surprise. Bayley sighed. "No," she answered, far more calmly. "You know I'm still working things out…" She threw her free hand up, frustrated. "It just happened. We didn't plan it. We were both feeling great after the show, and it just…it happened. I can't take it back."

"Do you regret it?" Sasha asked. "Because you sound like you regret it."

"I do, but I don't," Bayley admitted, sitting down on a steel folding chair. "But Jory probably hates my guts now. She probably thinks I did it to spite her because we haven't been talking."

Sasha crossed her arms over her chest. "You might have to accept that. I know you don't want to hear it, but it sounds like things are spiralling with you two to the point of being damaged beyond repair." Bayley looked at the phone in her hand. She had a sinking feeling that Sasha was right.

* * *

**In her short professional wrestling career, Alexa Bliss was sure she'd become a first-ballot Hall of Fame candidate**. A multiple time _Raw _Women's Champion, _SmackDown _Women's Champion, a former manager to a successful tag team, assistant to Baron Corbin, if there was a hat to be worn in the company, Alexa had worn it, and more importantly, had _thrived. _

Baron had done her the biggest solid in finding a bodyguard as imposing as Jazzy Gabert. Sure, Jazzy was a bit rough around the edges – she learned quickly that it was going to take a few attempts to morph Jazzy into a package befitting an association with _The _Alexa Bliss – but Jazzy was proving to be a great addition to the roster. Baron had thought outside the box, looking outside his own roster, but Alexa had to admit that he'd knocked it out of the park.

Her colleagues looked at her differently when she'd arrived at the arena with Jazzy in tow. There was an underlying contempt in their eyes, jealousy bubbling beneath their perfect appearances. Alexa had greeted them with smug grins and a flip of her hair. She didn't believe for a second that they were upset with their actions the week before; if there was anyone was disliked on the roster as Alexa, it was Jory.

Inside the ring was canvassed with red carpet, with a podium in the center, adorned with the WWE logo. A gigantic photograph of Jory, _blonde _Jory, was to the right, adorned with a wreath of dead flowers. After seeing Jory be loaded onto the gurney, spitting blood and struggling to breathe, Alexa had gone to Baron with the absolutely _brilliant _idea of setting some time aside to hold a mock funeral for Jory.

Alexa stood at the podium, dressed in black, a veil over her face for added dramatic effect. Jazzy stood behind her, stock still with her arms crossed over her chest, dressed in a gold vinyl bralette and black leggings. To kick off the funeral, Alexa had the production truck replay the events of the week before, of Jory spitting blood and fighting for every breath. The smug smirk that teased her lips had morphed into a full blown grin by the time the video was over. She looked down at her notes and smiled before returning her gaze to the crowd and the cameramen in front of her. The thought that Jory was watching from home, fucked up beyond repair, left her feeling like she'd conquered the world.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the WWE Universe, we've gathered here tonight to pay our final respects to the career of Jordana Moody. She left us the way she came in – a complete failure with stars in her eyes and the hope she'd one day have her name uttered in the same breath as the greats that came before her.

"We pay our respects to the 'reformed bad girl' who so badly wanted to prove she had a heart of gold, but just couldn't stick the landing. She leaves behind a locker room of men and women who despise her, and friends who wouldn't trust her as far as they can throw her.

"Her defining legacy will be her unceremonious ejection from WWE's inner circle, and her one _WrestleMania _match that she couldn't build momentum on. Her legacy will be in who she did behind the scenes…sorry, _what _she did behind the scenes…" The crowd gasped.

"Let the career of Jordana Moody be a cautionary tale for all the young girls out there who are in desperate need of a role model," Alexa continued. "Real success come from working your way to the top, from honing your craft inside the ring, and not by means I can't repeat here." The crowd gasped. A few people applauded. Alexa leaned on the podium. "Between you and me, I heard she wasn't even good at that."

The crowd gasped again, stunned by the disrespect. Alexa shifted to readjust her papers and stopped. "I mean, that's obviously why Seth downplayed their relationship. It's why he moved onto Bayley. Jordana just sucks. At everything she puts her mind to. It'd be charming if she had any redeeming qualities.

"Last week, Jazzy and I did what needed to be done. We put Jordana out of her misery. Jazzy and I showed Jordana a level of mercy nobody has ever shown before." She snapped her fingers. "Just like _that_, Jordana is gone and in the rear-view, and I remain on my throne as the _Raw _Women's…"

Jazzy hit the ground first, landing on all fours. Alexa registered the sound of steel chair hitting flesh. Two shots, and Jazzy was laid-out, face-down on the ground. The Administrative Assistant to the Acting General Manager of _Raw _turned around slowly to see Bayley, armed with a steel chair and a wide grin. Alexa realized she was trapped between the podium and Bayley.

She tried to make a break for it from the side, but Bayley dropped the chair and grabbed Alexa by the hair. Kicking and flailing, Alexa knocked over Jory's picture and the wreath. Turning, Alexa found herself in an embrace. She had a split second to have a thought before she went crashing down on the chair, compliments of a Bayley to Belly suplex.

With Alexa down, squirming in pain and discomfort, Bayley picked up the _Raw _Women's Championship. Standing over Alexa's body, Bayley held the title up, and the crowd cheered at the idea of Bayley being next in line. Bayley looked down at Alexa, scowling.

"I'm going to take your title, and I'm going to teach you to keep my name out of your mouth," Bayley informed her angrily. She dropped the belt on Alexa. "See you soon, _Champ."_

* * *

_** "I don't care what the people say. **_**They're going to find out some sweet day. She is precious. She is charming."**

Curled underneath a blanket on her couch, Jory stared at the text message on her phone, her lips pulling into a sad smile. _Something Special_. She knew the song. With a sigh that sounded hoarse in her ears, she sent him a text message. _I appreciate that, but I'm not seeing it tonight. You really don't want to talk to me right now. _

It was a strange feeling, witnessing her own "funeral" broadcast on live television for millions of people to see. She'd started the show in a cautiously optimistic mood, but the constant advertising of "Jordana's Funeral" had chipped away at what good mood she had. She knew that every detail between the ropes Alexa had picked out had been designed to hurt her, and Jory was ashamed to admit that every arrow had hit their fucking mark.

Blonde Jory always made her feel ashamed. Blonde Jory had sold out every value she had to get ahead, only for everything to blow up in her face. The dead flowers hadn't been a surprise. Neither had Alexa's "eulogy", but the words had still cut deep into Jory's soul. She'd hit every one of Jory's insecurities, and by the end of the segment, Jory was on the couch, underneath her throw blanket, licking her wounds and intermittently crying. Watching Bayley slip into the front of the line for the title, on top of the news about Bayley's new partnership with Seth, left Jory feeling broken and betrayed.

Bayley had been leaving message after message, but Jory wasn't interested in answering. She didn't want Seth back; far from it. But knowing what she'd gone through being with Seth, it stunned Jory that Bayley would want to put herself in the same position. She didn't want to have the awkward talk with her friend, didn't want to be put in the position of having to "bless" whatever new relationship Bayley was pursuing with her ex.

All she wanted was to be left alone.

Elias wasn't getting the memo.

_Yeah. I kinda do. Are you okay? I know you saw that bullshit. For the record, nobody believes anything she said. At all. _

Jory shook her head and responded. _A lot of people believe it. You probably will at some point, too. All I do is let everyone down. I'm sorry. Run. _

It was a few moments before her phone buzzed.

_ I'm going to do no such thing. You're just going to have to deal with it. _

Jory rubbed at her eyes and sighed. _I'm going to just end today and head to bed. Have a good night, Elias. Be careful while I'm on the sidelines. _

Leaving her phone on the coffee table, not wanting to talk to anyone else, Jory got off the couch and shut everything down before she went and crawled into bed.


	12. Bad Decisions

"_**Some people are a lot like clouds, you know.**_

'_**Cause life's so much brighter when they go."**_

_**Bring Me the Horizon, "medicine"**_

* * *

**Chapter Ten:**

**Bad Decisions**

* * *

** Elias felt out of place. **

For a man of his size, stature, and appearance, the feeling of sticking out like a sore thumb in a crowded room wasn't unfamiliar to Elias, but on this evening it stuck to his bones like a coat of slime as he walked into the upscale hotel bar. It was one of the nicer bars he'd been to; the walls were high and wood, lit with sconces on the wall that emitted a warm golden glow inside the room. It felt very elegant; far too elegant for the tight jeans and torn shirt he wore.

In his younger and dumber days, he'd spent plenty of time in bars far uglier than this; the kind of places where there were peanut shells on the floor and musicians performing behind fencing. He'd spent a lot of time in dive bars through the east coast and the Midwest, learning important lessons about life, love, death, and business from independent circuit veterans who chose to take him under their wings. They'd drink cheap beer and Elias would ask all the right questions, eager and desperate to pick their brains.

Since coming to WWE, his nightlife had nosedived. As he became more and more recognized, it became harder to enjoy a simple night out. Fans wanted selfies and autographs. Going out stopped being fun. He learned quickly to take a page out of The Rock's book and go just after opening or just before closing, when there would be the least amount of people to interact with. It wasn't that he hated his job, or hated interacting – far from it. But sometimes, Elias just needed a moment to himself.

His eyes scanned the gorgeous area, his eyes falling on the black hooded figure at the bar. His lips pursed together in a thin line and he shook his head slightly. He walked across the open space, closing the gap between himself and the bar. As he got closer, he could see the empty glass held by a perfectly manicured hand. Black fingernails with jeweled tips. There was a maraschino cherry at the bottom of the glass.

"Is this seat taken?"

With an agitated sigh, Jory turned her head and looked at Elias. She noted he was still wearing the same clothes he'd worn at _Raw_, only with a leather jacket to shield himself from the cold outside. His hair was pulled away from his face, tied in a messy bun at the nape of his neck. His hands were jammed in his pockets. She huffed.

They stared at each other in silence, two sets of exhausted eyes locked. He could see the pent-up rage, frustration, and devastation simmering behind her mint orbs. It was clear she'd been drinking for a while, on her way to either a pleasant buzz or blackout oblivion. Elias didn't see himself as a betting man, but he was willing to guess she was trying for the latter.

When it was clear she wasn't going to answer, he slid onto the stool beside her. "How deep in the bottle are you, Jory?" he asked.

"Not deep enough," she grumbled.

Forty-eight hours before, she'd been at home, living a semi-normal life when she'd gotten a call from Talent Relations saying she needed to be at _Raw_. She was still on the injured list, and was still checking in with her doctor regularly, but the WWE medical team wanted to look at her and gauge where she was at so they could give her a timetable to get back into the ring.

It had been good news; they were sure she'd be back in the New Year sometime. She was relieved to hear that it wasn't going to cost her a chance to get on the _WrestleMania _card. After her exam, she'd been invited to stay for the company Christmas party.

Elias had caught wind she was there; since being injured, their text messages had become more infrequent; he assumed that she wasn't in the best of spaces mentally. He tried to send her Clapton lyrics that would make her better, but the lack of response he got sometimes made him wonder if he was only adding to her pain. She'd mentioned during one text that her dad wanted her to retire; he imagined it put some pressure on her. Entangled in her web, Elias realized that the bitter, personal feud between Alexa Bliss and Jordana Moody came with very real consequences.

In a twist fitting only in a romantic comedy, he missed her by mere seconds all evening. It was just after he'd narrowly missed her at hair and makeup that he overheard Dana Brooke and Natalya gossiping about the run-in Jory had with Bayley. Elias hadn't intended to eavesdrop, but since the pictures of Bayley and Seth had gone public, the trio had become pro wrestling's hottest topic. Dana said she'd heard the two women yelling at each other in the bowels of the arena, that it was mostly Bayley yelling angrily and Jory stonewalling her.

He knew Jory was tired of being ensnared in the aftermath of things with Seth. Elias knew that as friends, Jory wouldn't be happy with Bayley sleeping with Seth, considering everything the three had been through, and what Bayley knew about their time together. He was confused that Seth and Bayley would hook up; Bayley had been pushing so hard for Jory and Seth to patch up their differences, that it seemed like the ultimate submission to end up getting together with him.

Natalya, ever the seasoned veteran, dismissed the insanity by saying everyone involved were adults and needed to act as such. Dana countered by asking Natalya by asking how Bayley thought things were going to go with Jory, who was doing everything she could to distance herself from the messiness of being Seth Rollins' girlfriend.

Watching Jory drink at the bar, miserable and agitated, Elias wondered if their missed connections had been by her design. He was sure she'd spent the night trying to avoid Bayley, not wanting to have _that _conversation at all, only to end up running into her by accident and having a blowout.

"What are you drinking?" he asked. "The next round is on me."

"Elias…" His name died on her lips while the bartender approached to take his order.

"Whatever she's having – two of those," Elias told him. She shot him a chagrined look, but Elias ignored it and kept his gaze on the young man in black. He cocked an eyebrow when he saw the bartender grab a bottle of Jack Daniels. "Huh. I didn't peg you as a heavy hitter."

"What are you doing here?"

"Well…" He adjusted, resting his forearms on the smooth counter. "It's been a long night, and the Christmas party ended up being a dud without my partner. So, I came back to the hotel and thought a quick drink at the bar was in order." He paused. "What about you? I heard your night left a lot to be desired."

"I just want to be alone."

He snorted, his cynicism taking over. "No offense, but if you wanted to be alone, this place would be your last line of defense."

Elias realized quickly he'd said the wrong thing when Jory began to slide off the barstool. Moving quickly, he touched her shoulder. "Jory, I'm sorry, okay? Don't go. Stay. Please. I'm sorry. I'll keep my mouth shut. Just stay."

With a sigh, she readjusted herself back on the stool and pulled the hood over her head. A few fans approached Elias, looking for a selfie. Gently but firmly, he promised he'd grant their request on his way out, but for now, all he wanted was to have a drink. The fans, though slightly inebriated, obliged with good nature. They thanked him for compromising and wished Jory a speedy recovery before heading back to their tables.

The bartender put their drinks in front of them. Jory surprised Elias by taking her glass and downing half of it in one gulp. He blinked. "Drinking to forget, are we?"

"Something like that," she murmured. He nodded. She didn't have to explain. Jory was walking around with a perpetually sore throat and a voice that made her sound like she had smoked a pack of cigarettes every day of her life. Off the road, her rival was viciously attacking her verbally on TV, holding mock funerals, and someone she considered a friend had a fling with the ex-boyfriend who had denied ever being her boyfriend on a podcast for millions of people to hear. He had to imagine she was exhausted.

It didn't have to be thrown out into the universe, but Elias knew that whatever had been said between Jory and Bayley had essentially dissolved whatever alliance they had left. Their friendship had spent months on life support. Elias wasn't at all surprised by the outcome. As crushed as she was about it, though, Jory was grateful to finally be out of their orbit.

_All her talk of hearing him out, of patching things up. All the times she ignored the way he hurt me just to hurt me, just for the two of them to turn around and fuck. Fantastic. Fuck me for thinking we had something special – he just can't resist fucking anything at a concert. Stupid, stupid Jory. _

She was tired of Bayley. She was tired of Seth. In the silence that had fallen between her and Elias, Jory took the time to mentally scroll down the list of things she was tired of inside her head. She was tired. She was fed up. Mostly, she was tired of being depressed, lonely, angry, and miserable all the time. _When am I allowed to be happy? _

"Are you planning on shutting the bar down?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I dunno. Haven't thought that far ahead."

"Why are you doing this, Jory?"

"Why are you asking so many questions? What are you, writing a book?" she retorted. The sneer in her voice took him aback. She finished her drink and looked at the bartender. "Another one. Please."

Elias noted the bartender looked reluctant. He sighed. "It's fine. She's with me. But bring her a glass of water, too." The bartender nodded and started making the drink. They fell quiet, watching him work. "Have you eaten at all since the arena?"

"What are you, my father?"

He ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek. "Jory, I know you're having a bad night, and you're not in the mood for someone to give a shit, but I'm trying to save you from the mother of all hangovers in the morning."

"I don't need saving. I don't need anyone." Elias bit back a snicker. She sighed, wishing he would just get annoyed with her and leave. _My luck, I had to go and make friends with the most patient guy on the roster. Go figure. _"I'm serious – you're off the clock. You don't need to White Knight me."

"You sound ridiculous. I'm here because I would rather be here than at the arena." It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her _I'd rather be here with you_, but he couldn't do it. At the moment, she was bitter and cynical, her tongue loaded with pent up venom she was ready to unleash. "Who are you rooming with?"

"Ember."

"Is that why you're down here?" He didn't have to answer. As great of a woman as she was, Ember wasn't immune to workplace gossip. He knew that she'd be all over Jory, trying to get the inside scoop on what went down with Bayley at the loading docks. "So, is that your game plan then? Just sit down here and drink until the bar shuts down?"

"You got a better idea?"

"If you're so desperate to ignore your roommate, you can come air out in my room until she crashes. Or you can just stay with me for the night."

"I couldn't do that. You wouldn't want me to do that." She took another sip.

"There are worse ways to spend an evening," he assured her. He sipped his drink. "I wouldn't make the offer if I didn't want you around. If you want, I can even buy you a bottle and you can keep getting drunk in the room."

She looked at him. _Really _looked at him. In the months since their friendship started, she'd been thinking about him a lot. In her worst moments, as the injuries piled up, her first thought was always about him. He'd become her best friend, her partner, her confidante, someone who watched her from the sidelines with unwavering support and kept her smiling with Eric Clapton lyrics.

"Besides," he continued. "I'm not doing anything tonight, but I'm certainly not leaving you down here while you're drowning in your sorrows."

"Oh, God, you make me sound like a country song."

"Your night really went that badly?" he asked.

She sighed. "It would have taken two of me for it to go worse."

"Did you get good news about your throat, at least?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. I should be back in the next couple weeks." Jory sighed. "Unfortunately, it means you're going to be behind the eight-ball for at least a couple more weeks."

"Thanks for your concern, but I'll manage. You just get better and get back here."

They fell quiet again. She liked that they could be so comfortable when nobody was saying anything. Looking into her empty glass, she thought about all the times he let her put her head on his shoulder while he played the guitar, all the times he let her just sit beside him. He ghosted and dismissed the other girls, but she seemed to be immune to it.

"I'm sorry about your night, Jory," he offered. She offered him a tight smile.

"Me, too. Me, too."

* * *

**It was as if his hands had a mind of their own. **

Walking into his hotel room, he'd turned around in time for her to grab him by the collar and pull him down for a soul-burning kiss. Every thought in his head came to a stop. Eyes closed, all he could focus on was the softness of her lips against his. She jumped and he caught her, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist. He backed into the bed, sitting down on the mattress, allowing her to straddle him. His hands gently skimmed her sides, underneath her hoodie. She shivered against him, her hips shifting slightly. He brought his hands to her hips and pulled her down onto his lap roughly, making her gasp when she felt him against her center. When her lips parted, he took the opportunity to slide his tongue inside her mouth, exploring every area he could while she slowly began to move against him.

This had been the last thing Elias had been expecting when he'd offered her a space to air out. While he'd be the first to admit that he had no idea what was going on inside Jory's head, he hadn't expected her to be looking for fun between the sheets. He wasn't against it, though – not when she could kiss like _that_. Nobody had told him she could kiss like _that_. There was a brief, flashing image inside his head of what it would look like to have her writhing underneath him, and he wondered if the sounds she was currently making could get louder. He wondered what it would be like to explore every inch of her skin with his fingers and tongue, and he found himself wondering what she looked like when she…

Elias' heart thumped inside his chest when she moaned against his mouth, bringing him back to reality. She ground against him harder, pulling a long, throaty moan from both of their mouths. Elias was ready to see what she looked like without any clothes on.

Her hand on his bulge brought him down even further, bringing his head from the clouds and back down to Earth. _What the hell are you doing, man? She's drunk. She's heartbroken. But mostly, she's really, really drunk. This is such a bad look, and it's gonna fuck everything up between the two of you. You gotta stop this, man. If she wants to do this when the booze has worn off, that's one thing. But you can't possibly entertain doing anything with her right now. Get it together. _

He pulled back. She moved to reattach her lips, but he shook his head gently. "Jory, we can't," he told her. Internally he was groaning; any other time, under different circumstances, the whole floor would hear the things he wanted to do to her. But it wasn't the time or the place, not with her drunk, not with her mental state in such turmoil. It felt too much like taking advantage of her. If she wanted to hook up with him when she was sober and had no regrets about it, he was more than open to revisiting the idea. At that moment, however, he just couldn't.

Her eyes grew wide, and the flash of pain and embarrassment on her face hit him squarely in the chest. She cupped a hand over her mouth, and he knew she was horrified. It was the last thing he wanted. The last thing he wanted was to add to the anguish she'd been suffering with for so long. In the time he'd gotten to know her, all he wanted was for her to be happy. He thought she deserved it.

She moved off him like he was made of fire, and he had no choice but to let her go. "Oh, God," she whispered. He could hear her voice threatening to break. "I'm so _stupid_."

"What? No…" He started. She was looking around the room like she was trying to map her escape route. Elias was aware she was taking this as an outright rejection instead of him trying to do the right thing; the obvious tent in the front of his jeans seemingly unnoticed and forgotten in her state.

"I…I need to go."

He sighed. "No. What you need to do is rest," he told her. "You've had a long night.

"So, here's what can happen – you can crash here and sleep off the alcohol, or I can take you back to your room and hand you off to Ember. Whatever you want to do is your choice."

Jory weighed her options for a few moments and then surprised them both by bursting into tears. Her first instinct was to bolt; she wasn't sure she was ever going to recover from the embarrassment she felt. All she wanted to do was bolt. The idea of sleeping in her car, away from everyone's eyes, seemed like the most attractive option. She suddenly couldn't face Elias, but she didn't think she could face Ember, either.

Feeling boxed in, she covered her face and sobbed. With a sigh, Elias approached, grabbing her gently by the shoulder and pulling her into an embrace. "I'm just a joke," she wept. "Why can't I do anything right? God, I'm so stupid."

"You're not stupid," he assured her, stroking her hair. "And you're not a joke."

"I am," she said, her voice muffled by her hands and his chest.

"You just need to rest, Jory. Come on. Let's get you to bed. You'll feel better in the morning."

He led her towards the bed. Removing his arm from around her, he pulled the comforter and sheets back so she could get in the bed and he could tuck her in. She slipped off her shoes and took off her hoodie, revealing a black tank top, leaving everything on the floor before slipping into bed. Her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen, her face flushed from a mixture of the alcohol and her emotional outburst.

Elias hoped she wouldn't remember any of it in the morning, but he didn't think she was _that _drunk. But the last thing he wanted was for her to beat herself up over what happened. There was going to have to be an awkward talk in their future, but now wasn't the time or place.

He pulled the covers over her shoulder, making sure she was in comfortably. "I'll get you some water and some Advil," he told her gently. Sniffling, she nodded, and he left her line of sight to make his way to the mini fridge. She was beginning to get a headache.

He set the bottles down on the nightstand. To her surprise – and utter confusion – he reached down and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Get some rest, okay?"

Elias turned to leave her for the sofa across the room but was surprised when he felt her hand on his wrist. Looking down at her, he felt a pang in his chest when she sniffled. "Stay with me, please. I just…I don't want to be alone right now. I'm so tired of being alone…"

Elias pursed his lips. "Let me get ready for bed, and I'll be right with you, okay?" She nodded. With a sigh, Elias retreated to the bathroom for a cold shower, the most comfortable pair of pajamas he owned, and time alone with his thoughts.


End file.
